THE 

MASTER 


MYSTERIES 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

•o 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

Gift  of 

Joseph  K.   Bransten 


,\rllM 


.hW 

. 


I'd  know  then  just  what  you  were  to  me — alone  in  the  dark." 


THE 
MASTER  OF  MYSTERIES 


BEING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PROBLEMS 

SOLVED  BY  ASTRO,  SEER  OF  SECRETS, 

AND  HIS  LOVE  AFFAIR  WITH  VA- 

LESKA  WYNNE,  HIS  ASSISTANT 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

KARL  ANDERSON  AND  GEORGE  BREHM 


INDIANAPOLIS 
THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT  1912 
THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 


I 


OF 

BRAUNWORTH    &    CO. 

BOOKBINDERS    AND    PRINTERS 

BROOKLYN,    N.    Y. 


CONTENTS 

it.  PAGE 

MISSING  JOHN  HUDSON   ...,..,..        1 
THE  STOLEN  SHAKESPEARE       .        .        ...        .23 

THE  MAcDouGAL  STREET  AFFAIR      .        .        .        .        .44 

THE  FANSHAWE  GHOST  ......        .65 

THE  DENTON  BOUDOIR  MYSTERY       .....      83 

THE  LORSSON  ELOPEMENT        ......     103 

THE  CALENDON  KIDNAPING  CASE     .....     128 

Miss  DALRYMPLE'S  LOCKET     ......     148 

NUMBER  THIRTEEN  ........     165 

THE  TROUBLE  WITH  TULLIVER  ......     186 

WHY  MRS.  BURBANK  RAN  AWAY    .        .        ..;       >        .    203 

MRS.  SELWYN'S  EMERALD         .        .        >:       ....        .        .    225 

THE  ASSASSINS'  CLUB     ....;...    247 

THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS      .        .        ...        .        .    271 

THE  COUNT'S  COMEDY      .....  .    291 

PRISCILLA'S  PRESENTS      .        .        .        ,.;        .        .        .311 
THE  HEIR  TO  SOOTHOID    .....       ...        •    326 

THE  Two  Miss  MANNINGS      ......    344 

VAN  ASTEN'S  VISITOR      ......        .    365 

THE  MIDDLEBURY  MURDER        .        .        .        .  .384 

VENGEANCE  OF  THE  Pi  RHO  Nu       .:....    407 

THE  LADY  IN  TAUPE       .        .        .        .  .        .428 

MRS.  STELLERY'S  LETTERS         .        ,:       >       x        .        .    443 
BLACK  LIGHT  .       •»•       .        .       >:       -.        .        .        .    465 


'/ 


INTRODUCTION 

Astro  put  The  Great  Cryptogram  back  upon  his 
book-shelf  among  the  other  attempts  to  solve  the  im- 
mortal Shakespeare-Bacon  controversy. 

"Valeska,"  he  said,  turning  to  his  pretty  assistant, 
"it's  queer  that  there  appears  to  be  no  other  book  con- 
taining a  secret  message  except  the  Shakespeare  folios, 
isn't  it !  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  heard  it  said  that 
Chatterton  had  a  cipher  in  one  of  his  books,  though ; 
that's  the  only  other  one  I  know  of.  Strange  more  au- 
thors haven't  done  it !" 

"Why?"  Valeska  asked,  looking  up  from  her  cata- 
logue. "Why  should  a  writer  put  anything  in  that 
can't  go  plainly  in  the  body  of  the  book,  or,  at  least,  in 
an  introduction?" 

"For  many  reasons :  He  may  be  ashamed  of  the  book, 
or  have  some  other  reason  for  not  acknowledging  its 
authorship.  It  may  describe  his  friends  too  accurately. 
It  may  reveal  important  secrets.  Even  if  his  name  does 
appear  on  the  title  page,  I  can  imagine  of  a  number  of 
secret  messages  he  might  want  to  insert  for  the  benefit 
of  those  able  to  understand  it." 

"Perhaps  it  has  often  been  done,"  Valeska  suggested. 
"One  wouldn't  know,  unless  one  had  a  reason  to  sus- 
pect the  existence  of  such  a  thing — and  then  one  would 
have  to  be  clever  enough  to  read  the  cipher." 

Astro  thought  it  over.  "By  Jove !"  he  exclaimed  at 
last,  "you're  right !  Now  I  think  of  it  there's  one  par- 


INTRODUCTION 

ticular  book,  published  anonymously,  that  I've  often 
been  curious  about.  Clewfinder, — I  think  I'll  take  a 
look  at  it." 

He  went  to  his  book-shelves  again  and  took  out  the 
volume,  opened  it,  and  ran  swiftly  over  the  pages. 
"Let's  see,"  he  said;  "if  the  author  wanted  his  true 
name  known,  he  would  put  it  in  an  easy  cipher, 
wouldn't  he  ?  But  if  he  didn't  want  it  found  out  easily, 
it  would  be  something  more  complex.  This  book  has 
had  a  great  sale — it  could  hardly  hurt  the  man  to  be 
suspected  of  writing  it.  Let's  try  the  easiest  possible 
method  first." 

He  ran  swiftly  over  the  pages.  "Well,  what  d'you 
think!"  he  said,  looking  up.  "I  knew  the  man  was 
pretty  clever,  and  fairly  versatile,  but  I  never  thought 
of  him  as  the  author  of  such  a  novel  as  Clew  finder! 
Just  look  at  it,  Valeska." 

"You  say  it's  the  easiest  possible  method  he  has 
taken  ?"  Valeska  said,  as  she  looked  over  the  pages. 

"The  very  easiest." 

Valeska  studied  on  it  a  few  minutes,  then  her  face 
lighted.  She  hurriedly  turned  the  pages,  stopped  here 
and  there,  and  then  smiled.  "Well,  that  is  a  surprise, 
isn't  it !  But  why  didn't  he  put  his  name  on  the  title 
page  ?  I  can't  understand  that !" 

"Give  me  the  book !"  Astro  said,  eagerly.  "I  believe 
he  would  be  likely  to  tell  that,  too !"  He  took  the  vol- 
ume again,  and  again  he  ran  hurriedly  over  the  pages. 
"Yes ;  as  I  thought,"  he  said,  finally.  "He  has  the  best 
of  reasons."  He  handed  the  book  back  to  his  assistant. 

"The  second  cipher,  surely,  would  be  written  in  the 
second  easiest  way,  shouldn't  it  ?" 

Astro  nodded.    "Naturally." 


INTRODUCTION 

Valeska  sat  for  a  while  at  her  table,  her  head  resting 
in  her  hand.  Then  she  slowly  turned  the  leaves,  think- 
ing. In  a  moment  she  went  faster,  stopping  as  before, 
for  a  second,  occasionally.  She  went  back  once,  made 
sure,  and  recommenced.  Finally  she  smiled.  "Yes!" 
she  said.  'Tie's  right,  too !" 

"It  may  have  a  third  cipher  message,  too,"  she  sug- 
gested, looking  at  the  volume  curiously. 

Astro  thought  it  over.  "Possibly,  but  that  would  be 
for  the  few,  not  for  the  ordinary  'smarty-cats.'  I'll  see 
when  I  have  leisure  for  it.  It  will  probably  take  a  little 
more  time  to  read  it." 

"Well,"  said  Valeska,  "if  other  books  have  contained 
any  such  secret  messages,  it's  strange  that  some  one 
hasn't  eventually  discovered  them." 

"That's  no  doubt  because  they  didn't  have  modern 
publishers,  who  understood  the  practical  psychology  of 
advertising,"  said  Astro. 

And  he  turned  to  play  with  his  pet  white  lizard. 


THE  MASTER  OF  MYSTERIES 


The  Master  of  Mysteries 


MISSING  JOHN  HUDSON 

THE  Master  of  Mysteries  bent  over  the  onyx  lec- 
tern for  a  moment  to  gaze  at  the  monograph,  and 
then  chuckled  derisively.  "Oh,  these  German  Symbol- 
ists !"  he  said  half  aloud.  "For  unadulterated  humor, 
give  me  a  Teuton  that  has  joined  the  ranks  of  the  meta- 
physicians. It  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  that  ninety  per 
cent,  of  them  have  died  in  madhouses,  and  that  Max 
Nordau  has  scheduled  the  rest  of  them  for  suicide !" 

He  paused  again  to  give  a  final  glance  at  Ehrenfeld's 
little  book  on  tone  color  in  vowels.  "The  letter  A," 
he  translated  rapidly,  "suggests  at  once  bright  red,  and 
symbolizes  youth,  or  joy ;  the  letter  I  is  suggestive  of 
sky-blue,  and  symbolizes  intimacy,  or  love — et  cetera, 
et  cetera"  He  stopped  from  sheer  exasperation.  "Poor 
Arthur  Rimbaud !  Poor  old  sodden  Verlaine !  What 
crimes  are  committed  in  your  cause !" 

The  door  opened  softly,  and  he  turned  to  greet  a 
beautiful  blond-haired  girl  who  entered. 

"Valeska,  if  I  were  making  up  a  list  of  the  tonal  es- 
sences in  vowel  sounds,  I  should  say  the  A  was  yellow, 
in  disagreement  with  our  friend  here,  Mr.  Ehren- 

I 


THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 


feld.  The  U  would  be  purple,  verging  on  maroon. 
By  the  way,  did  you  happen  to  notice  that  woman  who 
was  here  this  afternoon?"  He  gazed  abstractedly  at 
the  floor.  "It  seemed  to  me,"  he  went  on  after  a  few 
moments'  thought,  "as  if  she  possessed  distinctly  pur- 
ple vibrations,  denoting  unrest." 

"Which  one?"  was  the  quick  reply.  "THe  one  in 
black  satin,  with  jet  ornaments,  who  wore  gold-bowed 
eye-glasses,  and  limped  ?" 

"Of course;  but  I  should  describe  her  as  a  woman 
who  was  worried  and  was  jealous  of  her  husband ;  very 
suspicious  of  him ;  also  abnormally  anxious  for  money." 

"I  didn't  talk  to  her ;  I  was  too  busy." 

"You  must  do  a  few  palms  some  day,  just  to  see  how 
you  are  getting  along  in  your  study  of  the  science  of 
human  nature.  You  noticed  nothing  else  about  her?" 

Valeska  put  the  end  of  her  pencil  to  her  lips  and  con- 
sidered it  abstractedly  for  a  few  moments.  "Let  me 
see — "  she  began.  "She  carried  two  books,  didn't  she  ?" 

"Precisely.  One  was  a  Baedeker's  Northern  Italy, 
and  the  other  was  a  church  report, — Park  Avenue 
Presbyterian.  But  the  point  is  that  she's  coming  here 
again,  possibly  this  evening  or  to-morrow.  She  was 
literally  perishing  with  the  desire  to  ask  me  something 
which  she  did  not  dare  to  at  the  time." 

At  this  moment  there  came  a  ring  at  the  office  door- 
bell. 

"There  she  is  now,"  went  on  the  mystic.  "Did  you 
notice  that  was  a  nervous  ring?  It  came  twice.  She 
wasn't  quite  sure  the  first  time  whether  she  had  pressed 
hard  enough.  Show  her  in,  Valeska." 

A  few  minutes  intervened  before  his  visitor  ap- 
peared, pausing  undecidedly  on  the  threshold.  "Could 


MISSING   JOHN   HUDSON  3 

I  see  you  for  a  short  time  about  something  of  impor- 
tance ?"  she  questioned. 

"Have  a  seat,  madam."  Astro  had  risen,  and  placed 
a  chair,  apparently  innocently  enough,  where  the  full 
glare  of  the  drop  electric  light  would  illuminate  her. 
His  eyes  did  not  appear  to  survey  his  client ;  but  under 
his  long  lashes  they  were  busy  noting  detail  after  detail. 
She  sat  down  and  again  hesitated  to  begin. 

"I — I  suppose  that  what  I  am  about  to  say,  sir,  will 
be  kept  in  perfect  confidence  ?" 

"Assuredly,  madam.  You  are  worried  about  your 
husband,  I  presume." 

She  started  in  surprise,  looked  curiously  at  him,  and 
then  said,  "Yes,"  in  a  faint  tremulous  whisper.  At 
once  she  added,  "You  told  me  things  this  afternoon 
which  were  so  wonderfully  true  that  I  thought  I 
might  trust  you  to  give  me  some  help  on  a  far  more  im- 
portant affair  which  has  been  worrying  me  for  some 
time.  The  fact  is,  Mr.  Hudson,  my  husband,  has  dis- 
appeared. I  haven't  seen  him  for  over  a  week." 

At  this  Astro  manifested  no  surprise,  and  merely  re- 
marked, "I  was  aware  that  he  was  away,  madam,  when 
I  read  your  palm  this  afternoon.  No  doubt  I  can 
find  him,  if  that  is  what  you  wish;  but  it  may  take 
some  time ;  for  I  shall  have  to  gaze  into  my  crystals  and 
go  into  a  trance.  It  will  also  be  necessary  for  me  to 
go  to  your  house — into  his  room,  in  fact — in  order 
that  I  may  first  take  his  atmosphere." 

"Oh,  I  understand,"  she  exclaimed.  "To  tell  the 
truth,  I'm  very,  very  much  worried,  and  anxious  to 
have  you  go  to  work  as  soon  as  possible.  I  daren't  go 
to  the  police ;  for,  after  all,  there  may  be  nothing  seri- 
ous the  matter,  and  it  would  cause  a  lot  of  talk ;  and  I 


4  THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

shouldn't  want  him  ever  to  know  that  I'd  employed  a 
detective  for  anything  like  this.  But  of  course  you  are 
different." 

"I  am  'different',  as  you  say,"  responded  Astro,  smil- 
ing. "I  shall  be  able  to  trace  him,  no  doubt,  without 
any  one  ever  suspecting  me.  Just  when  did  you  see 
him  for  the  last  time  ?" 

"On  Tuesday,  the  tenth." 

"And  now  it  is  the  twentieth.  He  has  had  no  busi- 
ness troubles  ?" 

"On  the  contrary,  he  was  doing  remarkably  well  in 
his  real  estate  business.  We've  been  saving  up  to  go 
abroad,  you  see ;  it  has  been  a  plan  we've  had  ever  since 
we  were  married.  It's  a  sort  of  delayed  honeymoon,  I 
suppose.  We  hoped  to  live  in  Italy  for  a  year."  She 
sighed. 

"You  are  a  church-member,  I  presume  ?" 

"Yes,  I  go  to  the  Park  Avenue  Presbyterian  church. 
Mr.  Hudson  is  a  deacon  there." 

"I  see.    He  is  well-off,  you  say?" 

"Oh,  no ;  not  that.  But  we  have  been  quite  encour- 
aged of  late.  Mr.  Hudson  was  quite  hopeful  about  our 
European  trip." 

"Very  well,  Mrs.  Hudson ;  I  shall  be  at  your  house  at 
nine  o'clock  to-morrow." 


Valeska  entered  the  room  again  as  soon  as  the  vis- 
itor had  left,  and  looked  at  the  palmist,  with  a  question 
in  her  eyes. 

Astro  waved  his  hand  carelessly.  "As  I  thought," 
he  began,  turning  to  his  narghile,  lighting  it,  and  blow- 
ing the  fumes  through  his  nose  luxuriously,  "John 


MISSING   JOHN    HUDSON  5 

Hudson  has  disappeared.  She  asked  several  pointed 
questions  about  him  this  afternoon,  although  she 
thought  that  she  guarded  herself  well.  They  are  both 
church-members,  and  their  ambition  is  to  go  abroad. 
He  is  in  the  real  estate  business.  Can  you  put  two  and 
two  together  ?" 

Valeska's  pretty  eyebrows  creased  themselves  in 
thought.  "Let  me  see.  Judging  from  her  appearance, 
they  can't  have  been  making  very  much  money  in  the 
real  estate  business.  You  say  they  wanted  to  go  to 
Europe, — wanted  to  stay  a  year  in  Italy,  wasn't  it? — 
and  wanted  all  this  badly.  He'd  naturally  try  to  get 
the  money  in  other  ways ;  perhaps  illegitimately.  It 
might  even  lead  him  into  crime.  Being  religious,  he 
would  naturally  want  to  hide  this  from  his  wife.  Per- 
haps he  has  been  suspected  and  has  escaped."  She 
looked  up  at  him  anxiously. 

"You're  improving,"  said  the  Seer  impassively.  "In 
fact,  that's  just  what  I've  been  thinking  myself.  What 
we  must  find  out  is,  what  crime,  if  any,  he  has  com- 
mitted. Perhaps  he  is  dead ;  perhaps  he  has  run  away 
with  another  woman.  We  must  consider  every  possi- 
bility. Now,  I  can't  very  well  take  you  up  to  the  Hud- 
son house,  as  this  is  a  delicate  case ;  so  I  wish  you'd  go 
over  all  the  newspapers  since  the  tenth  and  see  what 
you  can  find  that  will  help  us." 


At  ten  o'clock  next  day  Astro  appeared  in  his  psychic 
studio,  where  appointments  with  his  fashionable  clients 
kept  him  till  two  in  the  afternoon.  At  that  time  he 
called  Valeska  into  his  favorite  corner  of  the  studio 
where  he  did  his  lounging  and  studying. 


6  THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Well,"  he  asked,  "what  did  you  get  out  of  the  news- 
papers ?" 

"I  found  so  much  that  it's  worse  than  if  I'd  found 
nothing  at  all, — several  murders,  an  elopement,  and  a 
bank  robbery.  I  don't  see  how  any  of  them  help, 
though.  The  criminals  all  seem  to  be  known.  Per- 
haps Hudson  was  an  accomplice." 

"My  dear  girl,  never  go  on  general  principles ;  gen- 
eral principles  are  the  refuge  of  the  hopelessly  incom- 
petent and  inane.  If  you  will  follow  general  principles 
long  enough,  you  will  find  yourself  in  a  class  that  is 
unlimited  in  its  generalities  and  hidebound  in  its  prin- 
ciples. If  there  is  no  significant  detail  that  dovetails 
into  Hudson's  disappearance,  we'll  simply  have  to  go 
about  it  in  another  way.  You  will  be  better  able  to 
judge  when  I  tell  you  what  happened  this  forenoon  be- 
fore I  came  down  to  the  studio  here. 

"Mrs.  Hudson  was  ready  for  me  with  the  news  that 
she  had  found  her  husband's  check-book,  and  that  it 
showed  him  to  have  an  unexpected  deposit  in  the  bank 
of  some  six  thousand  dollars.  Then  she  showed  me 
into  the  bedroom ;  but  as  they  shared  this  apartment  I 
thought  it  unnecessary  to  look  there  for  anything  sig- 
nificant. Hudson's  own  den  was  a  bare  office-like  sort 
of  place,  small,  and  furnished  with  a  leather  couch,  a 
bookcase,  and  an  old  office  desk.  In  this,  all  the 
drawers  were  unlocked  except  one.  I  got  Mrs.  Hud- 
son's permission  to  pick  that  lock,  and  here  is  what  I 
found."  He  smiled.  "Of  course,  you  understand  these 
were  absolutely  necessary  for  me  to  get  my  vibrations." 

They  both  laughed  at  the  remark,  and  he  took  from 
his  pocket  several  articles,  which  he  laid  upon  the  table. 
There  were,  first,  two  advertising  pictures  posed  by  a 


MISSING   JOHN   HUDSON  7 

pretty  woman;  evidently  the  same  model  in  each  in- 
stance, though  used  in  connection  with  different  prod- 
ucts. In  one  pose  the  girl  held  a  loaf  of  bread  in  her 
hand;  in  the  other  she  displayed  her  gleaming  teeth 
whitened  by  "Dentabella,"  a  new  proprietary  tooth- 
paste. She  was  pretty  and  quite  young.  Next  was  a 
card,  curiously  covered  with  an  intricate  series  of  in- 
terlaced curves  in  purple  ink, — a  beautiful,  symmetrical 
pattern,  as  accurately  drawn  as  the  lathe  engraving  on 
a  bank-note.  Last,  there  was  a  small  printed  page  con- 
taining a  calendar  with  all  the  months  given.  Oddly 
enough,  the  year  was  not  printed  at  the  top ;  instead, 
above  the  calendar  proper  appeared  the  caption,  "Num- 
ber fourteen/' 

Valeska  looked  at  the  collection  curiously.  "Well," 
she  said  at  last,  "I  can't  make  much  of  anything  except 
the  girl's  picture.  It  looks  to  me  as  if  Hudson  must 
have  some  special  interest  in  her,  to  have  two  pictures 
of  the  same  woman.  We  might  find  out  who  she  is." 

"That's  important,  surely ;  unless,  of  course,  we  can 
get  hold  of  a  better  clue.  But  do  you  know  what  this 
is  ?"  He  held  up  the  card. 

"No,  it  looks  to  me  like  a  fairy's  lace  handkerchief 
design  or  a  sea-shell." 

"That  is  a  harmonic  curve,"  said  Astro.  "Sometimes 
it's  called  a  vibration  curve,  and  it  is  traced  by  a  com- 
pound or  twin  elliptic  pendulum." 

"What's  that?  I  am  getting  farther  away  than 
ever." 

"Suppose,"  continued  Astro,  "you  tie  one  end  of  a 
string  to  a  nail  in  the  ceiling,  while  the  other  end  is 
looped  up  to  another  nail,  also  in  the  ceiling.  Now, 
from  the  lower  point  of  this  V,  hang  a  string  with  a 


8  THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

weight  on  the  end.  You  observe,  the  weight  will  be  at 
the  end  of  a  Y,  and  if  you  give  a  rotary  motion  to  the 
compound  pendulum  so  formed,  the  weight  will  travel 
in  an  intricate  but  regular  curve,  dependent  on  the 
relative  lengths  of  the  two  parts  of  the  pendulum  as  it 
swings  forward  and  backward  and  right  and  left  at  the 
same  time.  This  curve  was  made  by  such  a  one,  only 
more  complicated,  and  arranged  so  as  to  trace  a  line  on 
a  plane  surface.  The  curves  so  formed,  curious  to  say, 
correspond  actually  to  the  musical  vibrations  of  various 
chords." 

"It's  interesting,  but  rather  intricate,  and  I  don't  see 
how  it  helps  us  much  with  Hudson,"  said  Valeska. 
"How  about  this  calendar,  and  what's  the  'Number 
fourteen' for?" 

"That,"  said  the  Master  of  Mysteries,  "is  a  page 
from  a  universal  calendar ;  that  is,  a  calendar  that  can 
be  used  for  any  year.  This  is  the  last  page  of  the  pam- 
phlet, as  it  takes  just  fourteen  different  diagrams  to  in- 
clude all  the  calendar  possibilities, — seven  different  dia- 
grams* in  which  the  year  begins  on  a  different  day  of 
the  week,  and  another  set  of  seven  for  the  leap  years. 
There's  a  list  in  front,  probably  giving  the  number  of 
the  diagram  to  be  used  for  each  individual  year." 

"Oh !"  exclaimed  the  girl.  "That  reminds  me,  now. 
I  did  see  something  about  a  'two-hundred-year  calen- 
dar'. Where  was  it?  Let  me  think.  Yes,  I  have  it. 
It  was  in  an  account  of  a  body  that  was  found  drowned. 
Stupid  of  me  to  overlook  that !  I'll  see  if  I  can  find  it." 

"Get  it,"  Astro  said,  "while  I  think  this  over." 

She  flew  to  her  file  and  began  to  go  hurriedly 
through  the  sheets  of  paper.  "Here  it  is !  Here  it  is !" 
she  cried.  Then  she  read  breathlessly : 


MISSING  JOHN   HUDSON  9 

"The  body  of  an  unknown  man  was  found  this 
morning  floating  in  the  East  River  near  Thirty- 
eight  Street.  The  corpse  was  that  of  a  man  of 
fifty-five  or  sixty  years,  and  had  evidently  been  in 
in  the  water  some  ten  days.  The  lower  part  of 
the  face  was  completely  covered  by  a  full  beard. 
The  body  was  dressed  in  a  black  diagonal  cutaway 
coat  and  striped  trousers,  and  was  doubtless  that 
of  a  gentleman  in  reduced  circumstances.  In  the 
trousers  pocket  was  found  a  bunch  of  keys,  a 
small  sum  of  money,  and  a  two-hundred-year  cal- 
endar. No  marks  indicating  foul  play  were  dis- 
covered on  the  body,  which  is  awaiting  identifica- 
tion at  the  morgue." 

"That  corresponds  in  a  general  way  with  the  descrip- 
tion of  Hudson  that  his  wife  gave  me,"  said  Astro. 
"She  had  no  photograph  of  him  taken  within  the  last 
twenty  years.  There's  a  chance  that  it  may  be  he,  in 
which  case  it  looks  to  me  like  murder ;  but  I'll  have  to 
go  down  to  the  morgue  and  see,  anyway,  on  account 
of  the  calendar.  I  think  you'd  better  let  me  do  that 
alone,  while  you  try  to  discover  something  about  this 
'Dentabella'  girl.  Come  back  here  as  soon  as  you  have 
located  her." 

No  one  would  have  recognized  in  the  smart,  stylishly 
dressed  man  who  emerged  from  the  studio  a  half-hour 
later,  the  languid  picturesque  Master  of  Mysteries, 
Astro  the  Seer.  He  walked  briskly  along,  his  eyes 
eager  and  alert  to  every  impression.  At  the  morgue 
he  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  permission  to  view  the 
remains  of  the  man  he  sought,  and  to  inspect  the  cloth- 
ing and  the  articles  that  had  been  found  in  the  pocket. 

The  body  was  that  of  a  middle-aged  man  of  benevo- 


io         THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

lent  appearance,  the  face  showing  weakness  rather  than 
resolution  in  its  features.  The  hands  were  delicately 
shaped,  with  pointed  slender  fingers.  He  had  been 
apparently  a  dreamer,  a  mystic,  rather  than  a  man  of 
vigorous  life  and  practical  affairs.  Astro  turned  to  in- 
spect the  articles  displayed  before  his  gaze.  The  two- 
hundred-year  calendar  which  had  been  mentioned  in 
the  newspaper  corresponded  exactly  to  the  page  found 
in  Hudson's  desk;  and  on  opening  it  he  found  that 
page  twenty-nine,  containing  table  number  fourteen, 
had  been  torn  out.  What  was  more  remarkable,  how- 
ever, was  the  fact  that  with  it  was  a  collection  of  water- 
soaked,  purple-stained  cards.  Each  contained  a  "har- 
monic curve",  such  as  had  been  found  in  Hudson's 
drawer.  One  such  coincidence  was  unusual.  Two 
pointed  conclusively  to  some  connection  between  the 
two  men ;  if,  indeed,  the  corpse  were  not  that  of  Hud- 
son himself. 

This  point,  however,  was  soon  settled.  Calling  up 
Mrs.  Hudson,  he  found  that  her  husband's  hair  was 
scant  and  brown.  The  hair  of  the  dead  man  was  strong, 
slightly  curly,  and  reddish.  It  was  not  Hudson. 

Astro  walked  slowly  home,  plunged  in  thought,  and 
looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left  as  he  advanced. 
A  block  before  he  reached  his  studio  he  stopped  stock- 
still  for  a  moment,  gazing  in  front  of  him ;  then,  with 
a  quick  turn,  he  walked  rapidly  back,  took  a  cross-town 
car,  and  got  off  at  Second  Avenue.  Along  this  he  hur- 
ried till  he  came  to  a  second-hand  bookstore,  where  on 
one  of  the  stands  outside  the  window,  there  was  a  col- 
lection of  pamphlets  and  magazines.  He  ran  his  eye 
over  tKe  names:  The  Swastika,  Universal  Brother- 
hood, Vibrations,  The  New  Wisdom,  and  Cosmos.  He 


MISSING  JOHN   HUDSON  11 

took  up  one  of  these  and  turned  to  the  advertising 
pages  in  the  rear ;  then  he  tried  another.  It  was  not 
till  he  had  read  through  the  Swastika  that  he  was  sat- 
isfied and  smiled.  He  paid  for  the  copy,  hailed  a  pass- 
ing cab,  and  was  driven  to  his  studio,  where  Valeska 
was  already  waiting  for  him. 

He  announced  to  her  at  once  that  the  dead  man  was 
not  Hudson,  and  gave  a  brief  description  of  the  latter, 
whereupon  she  told  Astro  the  story  of  her  own  search. 

"I  didn't  find  the  girl ;  but  I  traced  her  antecedents. 
First  I  went  to  the  advertising  manager  of  the  'Denta- 
bella'  company,  and  told  him  I  wanted  to  get  hold  of 
the  model  he  had  used  in  the  ad.  Finally  I  wheedled 
her  name  out  of  him — it  was  Agnes  Vivian — and  went 
up  to  the  Harlem  address  he  gave  me.  The  young 
lady,  however,  no  longer  lived  there;  but  I  got  the 
woman  of  the  house  to  talking  and  found  out  that  our 
little  friend  had  left  without  settling  her  bill.  So  I  in- 
timated that  I  was  looking  for  Miss  Vivian  to  pay  her 
some  money  I  had  borrowed,  and  in  this  way  got  the 
landlady  to  tell  me  everything  she  could  that  would 
help  me  to  locate  the  missing  girl.  She  had  been  pos- 
ing for  photographers ;  but  now  it  seems  as  if  she  had 
got  another  job.  At  all  events,  a  gentleman  answering 
to  Hudson's  description  had  called  on  her  several  times, 
with  the  result  that  one  day  she  had  left  and  had  never 
come  back.  She  had  sent  for  her  trunk  next  day ;  but 
the  landlady  would  not  let  it  go,  and  could  not  ascer- 
tain where  it  was  to  be  taken.  She  had  an  idea,  though, 
that  the  girl  was  working  on  East  Thirty-ninth  Street 
somewhere;  for  she  had  overheard  her  telephoning 
one  day  previous  to  her  departure.  So  you  see,"  Va- 
leska concluded,  "our  friend  Hudson  has  probably  left 


12          THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

his  wife  for  good  and  all ;  or  rather  for  evil,  perhaps." 

"We'll  soon  find  out,"  said  Astro.  "We'll  go  up  and 
call  on  him  this  afternoon." 

"What !    Have  you  found  out  where  he  is  already  ?" 

"I'm  inclined  to  think  he's  living,  temporarily  at 
least,  at  198  East  Thirty-ninth  Street." 

"With  that  girl  ?"  Valeska's  eyes  blazed. 

"Not  at  all.  The  only  trouble  with  him  is  that  he 
loves  his  wife  too  much." 

Valeska  still  stared.  "That  isn't  likely, — there  are 
very  few  men  like  that  nowadays.  But  I'm  very  much 
relieved ;  for  I  rather  liked  the  Vivian  girl's  face ;  it's 
attractive." 

"Yes,"  Astro  assented,  "and  Hudson  is  paying  her  to 
be  attractive.  He  has  a  good  business  head,  this  man 
Hudson.  But  we  must  find  out  first  what  is  the  cause 
of  the  death  of  Professor  Dove." 

"Why,  who  is  he?" 

"He  is  the  man  whose  body  is  now  lying  in  the 
morgue." 

"How  did  you  find  that  out?" 

"Look  at  this,"  said  Astro.  He  pointed  to  an  adver- 
tisement in  The  Swastika: 

LET  ME  HELP  YOU! 

Get  into  your  own  Vibration;  develop  your 
latent  faculties,  inherent  possibilities;  and  develop 
your  power,  health,  success,  beauty,  and  love. 
Send  50c  with  name  and  birth  date  for  trial  read- 
ing and  Vibratory  Curve.  Prof.  Dove,  198  East 
39th-St,  N.  Y. 

"And  that's  what  those  curves  are  for,  then?"  Va- 
leska asked. 


MISSING   JOHN   HUDSON  13 

"Well,  that's  what  Professor  Dove  used  them  for; 
to  mystify  his  dupes;  or,  by  the  looks  of  him,  it's 
more  than  likely  that  he  believed  in  them  himself." 

"Hudson  must  have  believed  in  them  too,  then,"  she 
remarked,  "or  he  wouldn't  have  been  keeping  them  in 
his  desk  drawer.  Was  he  a  dupe,  do  you  think  ?" 

"You'll  recall  that  Hudson  had  several  of  them  in  his 
possession.  If  he  had  had  only  one,  I'd  say  he  might 
have  been  a  dupe." 

"But  what  if  he  did  have  several  ?"  queried  Valeska. 
"Do  you  think  Hudson  murdered  the  professor  ?" 

"Ah,  my  dear,  that's  what  I'd  like  to  know  myself.  I 
propose  that  we  call  at  the  Vibratory  office,  or  what- 
ever they  call  it.  You  see,  I  doubt  if  Professor  Dove 
ever  had  six  thousand  dollars,  or  even  six  thousand 
cents ;  he  was  not  worth  murdering  for  his  money.  One 
thing  is  certain,  Hudson  didn't  murder  Miss  Vivian; 
and  I'm  glad  of  that,  for  I'd  really  like  to  see  her.  Sup- 
pose we  go  up  to  Thirty-ninth  Street  and  find  out 
what  sort  of  place  it  is." 

As  they  walked  across  town  the  Master  of  Mysteries 
said,  "That's  a  very  clever  graft,  that  vibration  curve 
business.  The  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  I  like  it. 
You  see,  as  there  are  two  adjustments, — the  length  of 
the  upper  and  the  length  of  the  lower  pendulum, — you 
can  get  an  infinite  number  of  vibrations,  and  conse- 
quently an  infinite  number  of  curves.  Therefore,  you 
can  attach  any  significance  you  please  to  the  ratio  be- 
tween the  two.  Suppose,  for  instance,  you  divide  off 
the  top  arm — that  corresponds  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
Y — into  inches,  and  call  each  inch  a  certain  year.  Then 
divide  the  lower  arm  in  a  similar  way  into  days ;  say 
these  are  eighths  of  an  inch  each.  If  you  set  your  com- 


14          THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

pound  pendulum  to  the  two  marks — any  day  and  any 
year — you  can  produce  a  curve  for  any  birthday  you 
please,  and  you  can  always  reproduce  it  to  order.  It's 
a  very  good  plan  to  have  some  sort  of  scientific  basis 
for  this  kind  of  thing,  on  account  of  the  inquisitiveness 
of  the  post-office  authorities.  If  you  simply  have  a  set 
of  form  letters  for  answers,  the  chances  are  that  you'll 
have  a  fraud  order  against  you  and  you'll  not  get  your 
mail — with  its  desirable  money-orders  and  stamp  en- 
closures." 

"And  the  calendar?" 

"Merely  to  tell  easily  what  day  of  the  week  any 
birthday  fell  on.  For  instance,  December  22,  1883, 
was  on  a  Saturday,  and  so  on." 

"What  I  am  most  interested  in  is  the  life  readings," 
said  the  girl,  "and  the  advice  on  how  to  acquire 
beauty." 

"Or  love?"  Astro  added,  with  a  smile. 

"I'll  try  to  do  that  myself.     It's  more  exciting." 

From  across  the  street  the  two  now  reconnoitered 
number  198.  Below,  at  the  musty  stairway,  appeared, 
among  other  signs,  the  legend,  "Prof.  Dove,  Astrolo- 
ger." It  was  already  growing  dark,  and  above,  in  a 
window  on  the  third  floor,  a  dim  light  appeared.  The 
shade  was  drawn. 

"I'm  going  to  investigate  more  closely,"  said  Astro. 
"You  wait  outside  here  and  watch  the  window.  If  I 
raise  the  shade,  come  up !" 

So  saying,  he  crossed,  and  ascended  the  stairs.  As 
he  reached  the  landing,  however,  he  met  a  young 
woman  coming  down,  who,  at  a  glance,  proved  to  be 
the  Miss  Vivian  of  the  "Dentabella"  advertisements. 
Astro  stood  still  in  front  of  her,  barring  the  way. 


MISSING   JOHN   HUDSON  15 

"Would  you  please  tell  me  where  Professor  Dove 
is?"  he  inquired. 

"Why,  I— I  don't  know,  I'm  sure."  She  looked 
him  up  and  down  curiously. 

"Then  would  you  mind  telling  me  where  I  can  find 
Mr.  John  Hudson?" 

Still  she  showed  no  sign  of  surprise ;  but  drew  her- 
self up  proudly.  "There's  no  such  person  in  this  build- 
ing that  I  know  of,"  she  asserted. 

"I  thought  I  had  seen  you  in  Professor  Dove's  of- 
fice," continued  the  crystal-gazer  suavely. 

Something  in  his  manner  now  seemed  to  alarm  her. 
"Indeed !  I'm  a  stranger  here.  You  must  be  mistaken, 
really." 

"You  have  never  heard  of  Mr.  Hudson  ?"  he  went  on. 

"What  right  have  you  to  question  me  in  this  way  ?" 
she  demanded  boldly;  and  yet,  oddly  enough,  she  did 
not  try  to  pass  him. 

"I  have  the  right  for  two  reasons.  First,  because  the 
post-office  is  very  curious  as  to  the  nature  of  concerns 
doing  a  mail-order  business,  and  second,  because  the 
police  would  very  much  like  to  know  something  more 
concerning  the  death  of  Professor  Dove." 

She  scarcely  stopped  to  hear  the  rest  of  the  sentence 
before  she  turned  and  ran  up-stairs.  Astro,  though  he 
bounded  after  her  in  a  moment,  was  a  moment  too 
late ;  for  the  door  was  slammed  and  locked  in  his  face. 

"The  police!"  he  heard  her  cry,  and  at  once  there 
was  a  commotion  in  the  room.  A  window  was  thrown 
up  hurriedly;  then  all  became  still.  He  waited  in  pa- 
tience, listening  intently.  The  first  sound  audible,  how- 
ever, came  from  the  stairway  beneath  him.  Assured 
that  some  one  was  coming  up,  he  turned  and  saw  Va- 


16          THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

leska  beckoning  frantically.  He  tiptoed  to  her,  and  she 
whispered : 

"He  climbed  out  through  the  window  into  that  of  the 
next  house !  Can't  we  catch  him  there  ?" 

"We'll  have  to,  or  lose  the  whole  game!"  he  cried. 
"It  was  a  bit  premature ;  but  perhaps  it  will  be  as  well, 
after  all.  Come  along,  and — look  out  for  trouble.  I'll 
have  to  bluff  it  out  now,  though  I  have  no  desire  to  im- 
personate a  police  officer, — that's  a  dangerous  game. 
But  we  must  hurry." 

In  an  instant  more  they  were  down-stairs  and  hidden 
in  the  entrance  of  the  next  building.  They  had  not 
long  to  wait.  A  man,  bareheaded  and  excited,  came 
running  down,  and  would  have  dashed  by,  had  not  As- 
tro's  hand  immediately  clutched  him. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Hudson,"  said  the  Master 
of  Mysteries,  "but  I  wish  to  ask  you  a  few  questions." 

"Who  are  you?"  The  man's  voice  was  full  of  anx- 
iety. 

"A  friend,"  said  Astro. 

Valeska  put  out  her  hand  and  took  that  of  the  fright- 
ened old  man.  "Don't  be  alarmed,  Mr.  Hudson. 
Really  you  are  quite  safe  with  us." 

He  gazed  at  her  in  dull  astonishment.  "What  do 
you  want,  anyhow?"  he  exclaimed  peevishly,  attempt- 
ing to  recover  a  bold  front,  though  his  face  was  hag- 
gard with  terror. 

"I've  found  all  I  really  want,"  Astro  replied  quietly ; 
"but  at  the  same  time  I'd  like  to  have  my  curiosity  grat- 
ified. What,  for  instance,  do  you  know  concerning 
the  death  of  Professor  Dove?" 

Hudson  started,  and  stared  in  the  young  man's  face. 
"What!  Is  he  dead?  When  did  he  die ?" 


MISSING   JOHN    HUDSON  17 

"He  died  at  about  the  same  time  you  disappeared 
from  home." 

Hudson  turned  white.  "Great  God !  You  don't  sus- 
pect me  of — anything  ?" 

"I'd  like  to  have  you  explain  a  few  things,  that's  all," 
was  the  quiet  response. 

"Who  are  you?"  The  old  man  had  pulled  himself 
together  now,  and  was  more  defiant. 

"My  dear  sir,"  said  the  Seer  calmly,  "I  am  one  who 
has  been  sent  by  your  wife  to  discover  your  where- 
abouts. As  I  said,  that  mission  is  now  accomplished. 
At  the  same  time  you  must  admit  that  the  circum- 
stances in  which  I  find  you  are  suspicious.  You  have 
just  escaped  from  Professor  Dove's  office,  and  Pro- 
fessor Dove  now  lies  unidentified  in  the  morgue.  You 
are  in  possession  of  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  re- 
cently acquired.  You  are,  moreover,  found  in  the  com- 
pany of  a  very  pretty  young  woman.  Surely  all  this 
will  interest  Mrs.  Hudson.  It  remains  for  you  to  say 
how  much  of  it  I  shall  report." 

Hudson  trembled  violently  and  put  his  face  in  his 
hands.  "Oh,  my  God!  you  mustn't  tell  her!  You 
can't!  I'm  innocent  of  any  crime,  so  help  me  God! 
Wait !  Come  up  to  the  office,  and  I'll  explain  it  all." 

Astro  and  Valeska  retraced  their  steps  in  company 
with  the  fugitive,  and  soon  found  themselves  before  the 
office  door.  All  was  dark.  Hudson  gave  three  knocks, 
paused,  and  then  delivered  another.  The  door  was 
opened  silently.  Miss  Vivian  stood  before  them  in  a 
dim  light.  At  sight  of  the  two  strangers  she  staggered 
back. 

"Oh!"  she  cried  in  alarm.  "Are  you  arrested,  Mr. 
Hudson?" 


i8          THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"I  don't  know,"  he  answered  childishly  as  he  turned 
up  the  light. 

There  was  a  litter  of  papers  strewn  upon  the  office 
floor.  A  long  table  was  piled  with  letters  opened  and 
unopened ;  there  was  a  typewriter  on  a  stand,  a  copy- 
ing-press, a  high  desk  with  ledgers,  and  in  a  corner, 
suspended  from  hooks  in  the  ceiling,  the  compound 
pendulum  that  Astro  had  described.  On  the  horizontal 
shelf,  fixed  to  the  end  of  the  pendulum,  was  a  white 
card;  and,  extending  from  a  table  near  by,  an  arm 
carrying  a  glass  pen  projected  so  that,  when  the  pendu- 
lum was  swung,  a  curve  in  purple  ink  was  traced  on 
the  card.  A  heavy  weight  depended  from  the  bottom 
of  the  instrument. 

Hudson  sunk  into  a  chair  and  groaned.  The  girl 
waited  without  a  word,  watching  him. 

Then  Valeska  approached  him.  "Mr.  Hudson,"  she 
said  gently,  "pray  don't  take,  it  all  so  hard.  I'm  sure 
that  you  are  innocent,  and  we'll  both  help  you.  If  you 
tell  us  everything,  we  can  find  some  way  of  saving 
you." 

He  raised  his  head  and  looked  at  Astro,  who  nodded 
in  confirmation.  Hudson  took  courage.  "The  first 
thing,  the  most  important  thing,  of  course,  is  to  explain 
about  Professor  Dove's  death.  I  have  no  idea  how  it 
occurred.  Indeed,  I  didn't  know  he  was  dead  until  you 
told  me.  I  suspected  that  something  fatal  had  hap- 
pened ;  but  I  knew  nothing  definite." 

"When  did  you  see  him  last?" 

"Two  weeks  ago,  but  Miss  Vivian  has  seen  him  since 
then." 

The  girl  took  it  up.  "It  was  here  in  this  office  that  I 
saw  him.  He  was  intoxicated,  and  he  frightened  me ; 


MISSING  JOHN   HUDSON  19 

so  I  went  out  and  telephoned  to  Mr.  Hudson  about  it. 
Then,  when  I  got  back,  the  professor  had  gone." 

"You  will  understand,"  hastily  explained  Hudson, 
"that  Professor  Dove,  when  in  his  right  mind,  was  a 
most  gentlemanly  and  kind-hearted  man ;  but  when  he 
was  drunk  there  was  no  doing  anything  with  him.  I 
have  had  several  unpleasant  experiences  with  him  be- 
fore. He'd  go  out  and  wander  all  over  the  town  in  a 
sort  of  daze,  talking  aloud  to  himself  about  his  psychic 
beliefs  and  all  that.  He  was  especially  fond  of  the 
river,  and  once  we  found  him  sitting  away  out  on  a 
pier  and  gazing  into  the  water.  But  I  know  absolutely 
nothing  about  his  death,  sir,  I  assure  you.  Now,  about 
my  being  here.  I'd  like  to  explain — "  I 

i     "That  is  not  necessary,"  interrupted  Astro,  "I  know 
everything  I  wish  to,  now." 

"What  do  you  mean  ?  What  do  you  know  about  my 
private  affairs  ?" 

"I'll  tell  you,  Mr.  Hudson.  First,  for  a  long  time  you 
have  been  anxious  to  discover  some  way  of  making 
more  money  than  you  could  in  the  real  estate  business. 
You  and  your  wife  wanted  to  go  abroad ;  and  you  are 
very  fond  of  her  and  naturally  wished  to  please  her. 
Thinking  it  over  and  watching  the  advertisements,  you 
saw  that  the  quickest  way  to  make  money  was  to  go 
into  some  sort  of  fortune-telling  business  and  play  on 
the  credulity  of  fools.  Knowing  of  the  compound 
pendulum  and  the  curves  it  traces  so  mysteriously,  you 
decided  to  adopt  that  as  the  basis  of  your  graft.  You 
found  a  willing  helper  in  Professor  Dove,  who  was — 
well,  just  a  little  cracked,  and  inclined  to  believe  thor- 
oughly in  his  own  psychic  powers.  You  backed  him 
in  this  enterprise,"  Astro  waved  his  hand  round  the 


20         THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

room;  "but,  being  a  church-member,  you  naturally 
couldn't  afford  to  let  any  one,  your  wife  especially, 
know  of  your  being  engaged  in  a  business  that  was  so 
undignified  and  of  such  dubious  morality. 

"You  advertised,  and  did  so  well  that  you  needed 
more  help.  You  couldn't  afford  to  be  known  in  the 
matter,  and  so,  when  Miss  Vivian,  here,  came  to  your 
office  to  get  work,  you  selected  her  as  assistant.  Not 
wishing  to  be  seen  too  much  in  her  company,  you  went 
to  call  on  her,  and  finally  induced  her  to  help  the  pro- 
fessor. Then  the  professor  went  on  one  of  his  periodi- 
cal debauches,  she  telephoned  to  you,  and  you  came 
down  here  to  straighten  out  the  correspondence,  which 
was  becoming  larger  and  more  profitable  every  day. 
There  was  more  work  to  it  than  you  at  first  thought. 
You  had  to  stay  here  that  night;  then  you  became 
afraid  of  Dove's  disappearance  and  of  the  post-office  in- 
spectors. So  you  buckled  down  to  a  night  and  day  job 
of  it  until  you  could  clean  up  the  money  before  you 
were  caught.  You  are  now  about  ready  to  quit  the  af- 
fair altogether.  Is  this  correct?" 

The  old  man,  who  had  been  listening  in  great  aston- 
ishment, assented.  "But  are  you  going  to  report  all 
this  to  my  wife,  sir?"  he  faltered.  "It  will  simply  kill 
her.  Can't  you  keep  this  from  her  ?  I  promise  to  give 
up  the  business  right  now." 

Astro  drew  a  telegraph  blank  from  his  pocket.  There 
was  a  message  already  written  on  the  yellow  slip,  and 
he  handed  it  over  to  Hudson.  It  read : 


"ROCHESTER,  Oct.  21,  4  p.  M. 
"Why  no  letter?     Did  you  receive  mine?     Re- 
turning Empire  State  Limited  to-night.     JOHN." 


MISSING  JOHN   HUDSON  21 

"Ring  for  a  messenger  boy  and  send  this,"  continued 
the  Master  of  Mysteries.  "She  will  not  know  that  it 
isn't  a  genuine  telegram.  A  woman  in  her  state  of 
mind  won't  notice  anything,  I'm  sure;  and  I  think  if 
you  turn  up  at  the  Grand  Central,  appearing  to  have 
come  in  on  that  train,  she  will  be  there  to  meet  you 
with  open  arms." 

Tears  appeared  in  the  old  man's  eyes.  "I'll  do  it !" 
he  said.  "And  to-morrow  I'll  buy  a  couple  of  tickets 
for  Naples.  God  bless  you,  sir,  for  your  kindness !" 

"And  what's  to  become  of  me?"  spoke  up  Miss 
Vivian. 

Astro  looked  at  her  indulgently.  "You  may  go  on 
with  this  work  here,  for  all  I  care,"  he  said.  "It's  a 
very  tidy  little  business  apparently,  and  none  of  my 
affair.  But  I  advise  you  rather  to  apply  for  a  position 
in  Mr.  Hudson's  office.  I  don't  think,  however,  that 
with  your  face  and  figure  you  will  have  much  trouble 
in  getting  employment." 

"Oh,  I'll  see  to  that,"  said  John  Hudson. 


"Well,"  Valeska  said  with  relief,  as  she  and  Astro 
left  the  office,  "it's  all  over  now." 

"Not  at  all !"  remarked  her  companion  bruskly.  "I 
haven't  earned  my  fee  yet.  Come  into  this  drug  store 
with  me  a  moment." 

He  went  to  the  telephone  and  called  up  Mrs.  John 
Hudson.  "Mrs.  Hudson,"  he  said,  "I've  been  consult- 
ing my  crystals,  and  have  just  seen  your  husband  in 
Rochester.  He  was  taking  a  train  for  New  York.  He 
had  just  consummated  a  real  estate  deal  there  which 
had  been  very  profitable,  and  I  think  you  will  see  him 


22         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

safe  and  sound  again  to-night.  Kindly  send  my  check 
to  the  studio.  Thank  you.  Good  night." 

"My  crystals  are  certainly  wonderful,"  said  Astro, 
laughing. 

"Yes,"  said  Valeska,  "and  I  think  you're  rather  won- 
derful yourself." 


THE  STOLEN  SHAKESPEARE 

HESITATING  at  the  door  of  the  studio  long 
enough  only  to  send  to  Astro  a  quick  surrepti- 
tious message  with  her  eyes — indicating,  apparently, 
contempt  for  the  visitor — Valeska  announced,  "Mr. 
Barrister,"  and  left  the  two  men  alone  in  the  room. 

The  newcomer  looked  about  a  bit  foolishly,  and  then 
turned  to  the  palmist.  "You're  Astro,  I  suppose  ?" 

Astro,  in  robe  and  turban,  bowed  gravely  and  his 
glance  slumbered. 

"Eh — ah — the  fact  is,  sir,"  continued  Barrister, 
"that  I  have  come  here  about  a  peculiar  matter,  and 
solely,  sir,  to  please  my  wife.  She  has  a  woman's  weak- 
ness for  anything  occult, — anything  full  of  folderol 
and  fake.  You  see,  I  don't  take  any  stock  in  it  my- 
self ;  but— " 

"I  understand  perfectly,"  said  the  Master  of  Mys- 
teries without  apparent  annoyance.  He  seemed,  in 
fact,  to  be  bored  already. 

The  other  teetered  affably  on  his  toes  and  heels,  con- 
descension in  his  manner.  "She  had  heard  that  you 
professed  to  be  some  kind  of  fortune-teller,  besides  do- 
ing this  palmistry  business.  Is  that  so  ?" 

"I  have  had  occasion  at  times  to  use  certain  powers 
which  are — ah — supposed  to  be  occult.  I  say  'sup- 
posed to  be',  out  of  deference  to  your  manifest  feelings 
in  the  matter,  Mr.  Barrister." 

23 


24          THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"Hum !"  said  the  prospective  client  quickly.  "Well, 
whether  they  are  or  not  doesn't  matter  in  this  case,  as 
I'm  here  simply  to  please  my  wife.  If  I  didn't  come, 
she'd  come,  you  know.  However,  if  you  are  able  to 
locate  what  we  want,  I'll  be  willing  to  acknowledge 
anything  you  wish,  and  pay  you  accordingly.  I  sup- 
pose you  are  a  medium,  then  ?" 

"Some  call  it  that,"  acknowledged  the  reserved 
young  man.  "I  myself  assert  that  I  have  merely  done 
a  few  things  that  others  find  it  too  hard  to  do." 

"Such  as—" 

"Kindly  let  me  look  at  your  hand." 

"Bosh!"  said  Barrister;  but  he  gazed  at  his  own 
palm,  nevertheless,  with  a  new  air  of  curiosity,  and 
after  a  moment  stretched  it  toward  the  palmist.  "Well, 
see  what  you  can  find  in  it !"  he  said. 

Astro  looked  at  it  negligently ;  then,  under  his  half- 
shut  lids  his  eyes  sped  rapidly  over  his  client's  person, 
the  neat  business  suit  beneath  the  black  dress  overcoat, 
the  daintily  tied  scarf,  the  highly  polished  shoes,  and 
the  general  air  of  careful  grooming.  Then  they  re- 
turned to  the  hand  before  him.  Finally,  the  Seer  leaned 
back  listlessly  and  smiled. 

"You  went  to  see  Anna  Held  last  night,  and  were 
bored.  You  once  had  your  pockets  picked,  and  will 
probably  have  it  happen  to  you  again.  You  are  inter- 
ested in  Egyptology — and,  apropos,  I  wish  you'd  look 
at  my  porphyry  sphinx  there  and  give  me  some  idea  of 
its  age." 

Barrister  stared,  and  grew  a  bit  uneasy.  Then,  ap- 
parently to  hide  his  embarrassment,  he  turned  to  the 
carved  image  and  surveyed  it  with  the  air  of  a  connois- 
seur. As  he  presented  his  back  to  the  Seer,  the  latter 


THE    STOLEN    SHAKESPEARE  25 

swiftly  stooped  over,  picked  up  a  return  check  of  a 
New  York  theater,  good  the  night  before,  and  slid  it 
into  one  of  the  pockets  of  his  silk  robe. 

"That's  about  1400  B.  C,"  said  Barrister  easily. 
"Where  on  earth  did  you  get  hold  of  it?" 

"From  my  godfather,  in  Cairo,"  said  the  palmist. 

"Well,"  said  Barrister,  returning,  "I've  no  time  now 
to  examine  it  closely." 

"And  the  matter  which  worries  your  wife?"  Astro 
inquired. 

Again  his  visitor  hesitated,  looked  about  the  room, 
and  gazed  again  at  the  sphinx.  "Well,"  he  said  finally, 
"I'll  tell  you."  He  seated  himself  and  went  ori :  "I  have, 
or  rather  did  have,  a  First  Folio  Shakespeare,  one  of 
the  few  good  ones  of  the  thirty-seven  copies  extant. 
It  was  stolen  from  my  library  yesterday.  That's  what 
I  want  to  find—" 

"That,  and  the  one  who  stole  it  also,  I  suppose  ?" 

"Er — yes.    Yes,  certainly." 

"An  interesting  sort  of  quarry,  and  rather  unusual. 
Have  you  been  to  the  police  ?" 

Barrister  pursed  his  lips  and  shook  his  head. 

"No.  You  see,  there  wouldn't  be  much  use  in  that, 
would  there  ?  I'm  afraid  the  thief,  if  he  found  he  was 
suspected,  would  destroy  the  book.  He  can't  sell  it, 
anyway ;  for  these  folios  are  as  well  known  to  collectors 
as  good  race-horses  are  to  touts.  He  can't  get  away 
with  it ;  for  every  bookman  in  the  world  will  soon  know 
it  if  he  offers  it  for  sale.  I  want  it  back,  of  course; 
but  it  is  my  wife's  idea,  this  coming  to  you  about  it. 
She  gave  me  the  book  when  we  were  first  married,  and 
so,  naturally,  I  value  it  at  even  more  than  its  own  great 
intrinsic  value." 


26         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Have  you  ever  had  any  offers  for  it  ?"  Astro  asked 
carelessly. 

"What?  Offers?  Oh,  no;  no  indeed;  no  offers  at 
all.  Why  should  I  want  to  sell  it  ?  No,  sir !  It  would 
be  useless  for  any  one  to  attempt  to  buy  it." 

"But  nobody  is  harming  you  by  offering.  When  did 
you  miss  it  ?" 

"Last  night,  after  I  came  home  from  the  theater.  I 
went  to  see  Anna  Held,  as  you  said,  though  how  the 
mischief  you  knew  it  I  can't  see,  and  we  came  home 
early,  disgusted.  We  happened  to  be  talking  about  the 
Folio,  and  my  wife  walked  to  the  case  and  looked  for 
it.  It  was  gone." 

"Had  the  lock  been  tampered  with?" 

"Yes,  forced.  The  window  had  been  pried  open 
with  a  jimmy,  too.  It  was  evidently  done  by  a  burglar 
who  knew  just  what  he  wanted.  But  it  doesn't  look 
like  a  professional's  work;  for  the  book  would  be  too 
hard  to  dispose  of." 

"I  see,"  said  Astro.  He  gazed  away  into  space  and 
puffed  at  his  water-pipe  meditatively.  "Mr.  Barrister, 
I'll  try  to  find  it  for  you.  If  I  succeed  in  getting  the 
book  or  the  person  who  stole  it  from  you,  my  charge 
will  be  five  hundred  dollars." 

"All  right,"  said  Barrister,  rising.  "Will  you  want 
to  come  up  to  my  house  and  look  over  the  place  ?" 

"I  think  I  can  put  myself  more  en  rapport  with  the 
case,  if  I  do ;  I  want  to  feel  the  vibrations,  so  to  speak, 
and  no  doubt  I  shall  get  an  impression  of  the  aura  of 
the  culprit  if  I  am  on  the  spot.  The  rest  I  shall  do  with 
the  crystals." 

Barrister  did  not  conceal  his  scorn.  "Oh,  very  well," 


THE   STOLEN  SHAKESPEARE          27 

He  said,  "I  suppose  it  will  at  least  satisfy  my  wife. 
When  will  you  be  up  ?" 

"To-morrow  morning,  early.  I'll  ask  you  to  disturb 
nothing,  and  even  to  keep  away  from  the  room  until 
I  come." 

"There's  nothing  to  disturb,"  Barrister  commented ; 
"but  I'll  see  to  it  that  nobody  interferes  with  your 
magic."  And  so  saying,  he  took  up  his  hat,  gave  the 
sphinx  one  last  glance,  and  left  the  room. 


When  he  was  gone  the  palmist  doffed  his  regalia 
and  yawned.  A  moment  later  Valeska  reentered  the 
studio.  Astro  gazed  at  her  reflectively. 

"Did  you  notice  that  man's  watch-charm  ?"  he  asked. 

"Why,  there  was  something  funny  about  it;  but  I 
couldn't  make  the  thing  out  exactly." 

"Did  you  ever  see  an  Egyptian  scarab?" 

"Why,  yes.     But  he  didn't  have  one,  did  he?" 

"He  used  to  have  one.  You  know  how  they  mount 
them, — with  a  pin  through  the  beetle  so  it  can  revolve  ? 
The  setting  and  the  pin  were  there ;  but  not  the  stone. 
You  must  look  closer  next  time." 

"What  else  did  I  miss  ?"  she  asked,  pouting. 

"You  didn't  say  anything  about  his  carrying  his 
purse  in  his  outside  overcoat  pocket.  He  will  always 
be  an  easy  mark  for  the  light-fingered  gentry  if  he 
keeps  that  up.  It's  lucky  for  him  that  he's  rich." 

"Oh,  he  is  wealthy,  of  course !  I  got  that  much  right, 
anyway.  He  looked  as  if  he  were  very  well-off,  in 
fact." 

"I  should  imagine  he  was,  with  a  First  Folio  Shake- 


28          THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

speare  lying  loose  in  his  library!  That's  what  we've 
got  to  find." 

"It's  interesting?" 

"Interesting !  I  should  say  so !  It's  a  regular  kid- 
naping case.  Talk  about  diamonds!  Why,  they're 
stupid  things.  Every  one  likes  diamonds,  and  they  can 
be  cut  up  into  smaller  stones  and  readily  disposed  of, 
if  you're  careful  about  it.  But  you  can't  cut  a  page  out 
of  a  First  Folio,  you  can't  even  hint  that  you'd  like  to 
sell  it,  without  all  the  world  knowing  about  it.  Book- 
hunters  are  the  most  determined  and  interesting  col- 
lectors in  the  world.  I  know  of  no  passion  to  equal  it." 

He  walked  over  to  the  telephone  and  called  up  a 
leading  dealer  in  rare  volumes. 

"I  wish  to  ask  about  a  First  Folio  Shakespeare.  Are 
'there  any  bidders  in  the  open  market  for  a  copy?"  He 
wrote  down  rapidly  on  a  tab  as  he  spoke  into  the  re- 
ceiver,— "William  A.  Hepson.  Oh,  yes,  the  million- 
aire. Ah,  thank  you." 

He  slammed  the  instrument  down  vigorously, 
snatched  up  a  telegraph  blank,  rapidly  wrote  a  mes- 
sage, and  handed  it  to  Valeska. 

She  read  it  aloud : 

"WILLIAM  A.  HEPSON,  Chicago,  111.— Will  you 
give  four  thousand  dollars  for  a  guaranteed  First 
Folio  Shakespeare?  Wire  reply  to  Jane  Gore, 
181  East  18th  Street,  New  York." 

"Why!"  she  exclaimed.  "Have  you  located  it  al- 
ready?" 

"Not  quite.  But  I  have  an  idea,  and  this  will  help, 
if  we  get  an  answer  by  to-morrow  morning"." 

"Who  is  he?" 


THE    STOLEN    SHAKESPEARE  29 

"He's  a  Chicago  beef  packer  who  offered  four  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  book  a  while  ago;  but,  curiously 
enough,  he  was  in  town  this  week." 

"Is  he  in  the  city  now  ?" 

"That's  what  I  should  like  very  much  to  know  my- 
self. In  the  meantime,  send  this,  get  the  answer  at 
your  place,  and  bring  it  to  me  in  the  morning.  Then 
we'll  go  up  and  see  Mrs.  Barrister." 


Valeska  appeared  next  morning  with  a  yellow  en- 
velope. "He  refuses  your  offer,"  she  said. 

"Good !"  exclaimed  the  Master  of  Mysteries,  rubbing 
his  hands  in  satisfaction.  "He  has  the  Folio,  then,  as  I 
suspected.  Now,  to  work!  This  case  already  begins 
to  offer  delicate  little  labyrinths  which  are  nothing  short 
of  delicious  to  the  analytical  mind.  We'll  lose  no  time 
getting  out  to  Mrs.  Barrister's,  and  I  want  you  to  use 
your  eyes  better  than  you  did  last  night.  I  expect  you 
to  see  everything  that  I  don't.  Remember  to  watch  me, 
though,  and  be  ready  for  instructions.  Notice  any  sig- 
nal that  I  may  happen  to  give  you.  For  instance,  if  I 
raise  my  .eyes  to  the  ceiling,  my  next  look  will  be  at 
what  I  want  you  to  notice.  If  I  touch  anything,  you're 
to  take  it  and  look  at  it  carefully,  and  follow  what  I 
say  next.  If  I  cough,  you're  to  create  some  diversion 
so  that  I  shan't  be  noticed  for  a  few  moments." 

Valeska  laughed.  "You'll  be  doing  a  trance  next. 
Funny  how  well  the  bluff  always  works,  isn't  it  ?" 

Astro  frowned.  "My  dear,"  he  said  pompously, 
"there  are  waves  of  the  ether, — N-rays,  X-rays,  actinic 
and  ultraviolet  vibrations,  to  which  I  am  exceedingly 
susceptible.  I  have  an  inner  sense  and  an  esoteric 


30         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

knowledge  of  life  and  its  mysteries  that  is  hidden  from 
all  who  have  not  lived  for  cycles  and  eons  in  solitude 
and  contemplation  with  the  Mahatmas  of  the  Hima- 
layas!" 

Valeska,  instead  of  being  impressed,  broke  into  a 
rippling  laugh  as  they  went  up  the  avenue. 

The  Barristers  lived  in  a  large,  solemn  brownstone 
house  off  Fifth  Avenue,  one  of  a  hundred  similar  domi- 
ciles, heavily  furnished,  dim,  close,  lusterless,  quiet, 
warm.  Astro  and  his  assistant  waited  in  the  reception- 
room  till  Mrs.  Barrister  appeared.  She  was  large, 
plumply  built,  with  gray  hair  artfully  pompadoured 
and  undulated,  and  a  pleasant,  though  not  very  intelli- 
gent smile;  a  woman  that  still  kept  herself  well  and 
carried  herself  well,  treasuring  the  last  remains  of  what 
had  been  a  comfortable  prettiness.  She  greeted  them 
cordially. 

"I'm  so  glad  youVe  come !"  she  announced.  "Seems 
as  if  I  couldn't  wait  any  longer;  for  I  felt  sure  that 
you  could  help  us  if  anybody  could,  and  I  do  feel  so 
terribly  about  this  robbery !  You  know  it  was  my  wed- 
ding gift  to  Mr.  Barrister.  My  husband  agreed  with 
me  that  it  wasn't  exactly  a  case  for  the  police,  and  we 
don't  want  any  more  talk  about  it  than  is  absolutely 
necessary.  I've  heard  so  much  about  you,  Mr.  Astro ; 
for  a  great  many  of  my  friends  have  gone  to  you,  and 
you  told  them  such  remarkable  things !  Then  that  case 
of  your  finding  the  Sacarnet  sapphire  gave  me  consid- 
erable confidence  in  you.  Why,  my  own  mother  once 
recovered  a  purse  she  had  lost,  by  going  to  a  medium 
about  it !"  She  bustled  about  amiably. 

"Now,  I  suppose  you  want  to  see  the  library,  don't 
you?  You  know  Mr.  Barrister  doesn't  believe  in  any- 


THE    STOLEN    SHAKESPEARE  31 

thing  supernatural,  and  he  wouldn't  stay.  But  I'll  show 
you  in." 

During  this  long  speecH,  Valeska's  eyes  traveled  over 
Mrs.  Barrister's  portly  person ;  but  the  Master  of  Mys- 
teries seemed  rapt  in  thought,  abstracted  and  inatten- 
tive. He  rose  now,  however,  and  followed  through  the 
folding  doors  into  the  library  beyond.  The  shades  had 
been  drawn  as  if  a  death  had  occurred ;  she  raised  them, 
showing  a  square  room,  every  wall  lined  with  glass- 
covered  bookcases.  She  went  up  to  one,  beside  a  win- 
dow, and  threw  open  a  door.  It  was  as  if  she  were 
displaying  a  rifled  tomb. 

"Here  is  where  it  was  kept, — right  in  there.  You 
can  see  the  marks  of  a  chisel  or  something  near  the 
lock.  The  frame  was  pried  open.  Isn't  it  dreadful? 
That  book  was  like  an  only  child  to  us !" 

Astro  apparently  gave  it  scarcely  a  glance.  "Mrs. 
Barrister,"  he  said,  "I'll  ask  you  kindly  to  leave  me 
here  alone  for  fifteen  minutes.  I  am  extraordinarily 
sensitive  to  vibrations ;  but  I  must  be  undisturbed  while 
I  concentrate  my  mind  sufficiently  to  induce  the  proper 
psychic  conditions.  Meanwhile  my  assistant  will  stay 
with  you." 

Mrs.  Barrister  was  impressed,  and  withdrew  with- 
out further  questioning.  The  door  of  the  library  was 
shut,  and  the  two  women  sat  down  by  a  window  in  the 
reception-room.  Valeska  immediately  began  her  own 
line  of  investigation. 

"When  did  you  last  see  the  book  ?"  she  asked. 

"Thursday  afternoon  at  about  four  o'clock  I  showed 
it  to  a  caller,  and  then  locked  the  case  as  usual.  We 
got  home  from  the  theater  that  night  a  little  after  ten, 
and  went  almost  immediately  to  the  library,  as  we 


32         THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

had  been  having  a  discussion  about  one  of  the  lines 
in  Macbeth.  Then  we  saw  that  the  book  was  gone."  t 

"Do  you  know  of  any  one  having  entered  the  room, 
besides  yourself  and  Mr.  Barrister,  between  four  and 
ten?" 

"Mary,  my  maid,  was  in  with  the  tea  things ;  that's 
all  I  know." 

"And  you  don't  suspect  her?" 

"Oh,  no !   She  has  been  with  me  for  years." 

"And  the  caller?" 

Mrs.  Barrister  thought  for  a  moment  before  an- 
swering. Then  she  said,  "It  was  a  Mr.  White.  I  con- 
fess I  don't  like  him  very  well.  But  he's  more  a  friend 
of  my  husband's  than  mine.  In  fact,  my  husband  came 
in  before  Mr.  White  left ;  so  I  went  up-stairs  and  left 
the  two  men  alone.  I  had  an  idea  there  was  some 
trouble  between  them." 

"Does  your  husband  belong  to  any  club?" 

"Yes,  the  Booklovers,  and  the  Stage  Club.  So 
does  Mr.  White.  Why?" 

"Oh,"  said  Valeska  carelessly,  "Mr.  Barrister 
seemed  such  a  man  of  the  world, — just  the  man  to  be- 
long to  clubs,  you  know.  But  who  showed  Mr.  White 
out  the  door?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Barrister  went  with  him  himself.  You 
see,  it  couldn't  have  been  possible  for  Mr.  White  to 
have  concealed  the  book ;  it's  quite  large,  you  know  ?" 

"You  have  looked  -everywhere,  of  course  ?" 

"Oh,  yes.  We  went  immediately  to  work,  searched 
Mary's  room  at  her  request,  and  then  everywhere  else 
in  the  house.  It  simply  isn't  here." 

At  this  moment  Astro  opened  the  door  and  walked 
silently  into  the  room. 


THE    STOLEN    SHAKESPEARE  33 

"Oh,"  Mrs.  Barrister  suddenly  exclaimed,  "I  quite 
forgot  to  tell  Mr.  Astro  something  that  I'm  sure  is 
important!  It's  a  clue  we  discovered  while  we  were 
searching  the  library  after  we  had  found  the  scratches 
and  the  broken  lock  of  the  case.  Here  it  is!'7  She 
drew  a  scrap  of  paper  from  her  purse  and  handed  it 
to  him.  It  was  evidently  the  corner  of  a  letter,  and 
bore  a  few  words  written  in  violet  ink. 

The  palmist  held  it  lightly  in  his  hand  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  asked,  "Has  any  one  else  had  this,  except 
you  ?" 

"Oh,  yes.  Mr.  Barrister  himself  found  it,  and,  of 
course,  he  examined  it  carefully;  but  he  could  make 
nothing  of  it." 

Astro  cast  his  eyes  to  the  ceiling,  and  then  down 
on  the  paper  again.  He  pressed  it  to  his  forehead, 
then  handed  it  to  his  assistant. 

"I  shall  have  to  wait  until  the  last  influences  are 
evaporated,  leaving  the  original  personality  of  the 
writer  to  assert  itself."  He  whirled  quickly  about, 
placed  his  hand  to  his  lips,  and  coughed. 

"Oh,  Mrs.  Barrister!"  Valeska  exclaimed.  "Look 
at  this  paper  again  for  a  moment.  Come  to  the  light 
by  the  window  here.  It  seemed  to  me  I  saw  a  water- 
mark that  showed  through  when  I  held  it  to  the  light. 
See  if  you  can  see  it."  As  she  spoke  she  drew  the 
woman  into  the  bay-window  so  that  she  stood  with  her 
back  to  the  room. 

Astro  stepped  quickly  over  to  a  bookcase  against 
the  wall,  and,  keeping  his  eyes  carefully  on  Mrs.  Bar- 
rister, reached  to  the  top  of  one  of  the  shelves.  Four 
or  five  books  protruded  about  an  inch  from  the  rest 
of  the  line.  Astro's  hand  curved  over  these  and  down 


34         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

behind  until  it  touched  the  shelf.  Before  Mrs.  Bar- 
rister had  turned  again,  his  hand  was  withdrawn.  He 
spoke  sharply. 

"Could  you  lend  me  a  screw-driver?" 

"Certainly."  She  rang  for  the  maid,  who  appeared, 
and  was  sent  on  the  errand.  In  a  few  minutes  she  re- 
turned. 

"I'm  very  sorry,  Mrs.  Barrister,  but  I  can't  find  it. 
We  always  keep  it  in  the  kitchen  closet;  but  it's  not 
there  now." 

"I  thought  so,"  said  Astro.  "But  one  question, 
Mary,  before  you  go.  First,  let  me  see  your  palm." 

The  girl  held  out  her  hand  timidly,  with  wonder  in 
her  face. 

The  Master  of  Mysteries  felt  of  it  tentatively,  then 
looked  directly  into  her  eyes.  "Mary,"  he  said,  "where 
were  you  after  dinner-time  on  Thursday;  from  then 
until  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barrister  returned  home?" 

"In  the  kitchen  with  the  cook  most  of  the  time,  sir. 
I  went  up  into  the  dining-room  beside  the  library  once 
or  twice,  though." 

"You  heard  nothing  unusual?" 

"Nothing  at  all,  sir." 

"How  did  you  get  that  violet  stain  on  your  finger  ?" 

Mary  looked  at  it  calmly.  "It  was  from  writing  a 
letter  the  other  day.  I  couldn't  get  it  all  off." 

"I  think  I  have  stayed  as  long  as  is  necessary,"  said 
Astro,  turning  to  Mrs.  Barrister,  "and  now,  if  you'll 
excuse  me,  I'll  go.  I  shall  report  to  your  husband  as 
soon  as  I  find  anything." 


iLeaving  with  his  assistant,  he  walked  slowly  down 


THE    STOLEN    SHAKESPEARE  35 

the  front  steps.  As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  of 
the  windows,  he  said,  "Well,  what  did  you  find  out 
while  I  was  investigating,  Valeska?" 

She  narrated  the  conversation  while  Astro  walked 
thoughtfully  beside  her,  his  eyes  roaming  from  side  to 
side,  until  they  lighted  upon  a  line  of  ash  barrels  near 
the  curb.  He  stopped. 

"See  here,  Valeska!"  he  exclaimed  suddenly.  "I 
wish  you'd  go  into  this  house  and  find  out  in  some  way 
how  long  these  barrels  have  been  standing  here.  It's  a 
shame  the  way  the  Board  of  Health  neglects  its  duties. 
Do  you  see  ?  Tell  them  you  have  been  sent  by  a  Civic 
Reform  committee  to  find  out  if  there's  any  complaint." 

He  walked  on,  smiling  to  himself.  "Entirely  too 
clever,"  he  murmured;  "so  clever  that  it's  positively 
stupid!"  He  approached  the  ash  cans  and  surveyed 
their  contents.  From  the  top  of  one  he  gingerly  drew 
out  a  torn  sheet  of  paper.  Another  barrel  showed, 
among  its  overflowing  contents,  several  tin  cans,  a 
shoe,  a  lot  of  broken  bottles,  and  a  mass  of  sawdust. 
He  gave  them  a  hard  look,  then  sauntered  on  till  Va- 
leska caught  up  with  him. 

"Those  barrels  have  been  out  since  Thursday,"  she 
said. 

He  smiled  and  made  no  comment.  "Now,"  he  said, 
"what  I  want  you  to  do  is  to  call  on  this  Mr.  White. 
You  had  better  be  getting  subscriptions  for  a  book. 
Get  one  for  a  sample  at  some  shop, — something  rather 
silly  too — Bibliophiles  and  Their  Hobbies — and  you 
are  to  find  out  White's  private  opinion  of  Barrister. 
Barrister,  you  understand,  has  already  subscribed.  You 
may  work  it  up  any  way  you  like,  only  be  sure  to  get 
some  expression  of  opinion." 


36         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

It  was  almost  noon  before  Valeska  returned  from 
her  errand,  and,  as  by  this  time  the  palmist's  outer  of- 
fice was  filled  with  waiting  clients,  it  was  the  lunch 
hour  before  she  could  speak  to  him. 

"I  shall  have  to  raise  my  fee  again/'  he  said.  "Ten 
dollars  a  reading  doesn't  seem  to  stop  them  at  all.  I'll 
make  them  come  only  by  appointment  after  this.  But 
what  did  you  find  out?" 

The  girl's  eyes  sparkled  with  news.  "Hepson's  our 
man, — Hepson  via  White,  I  guess.  Hepson  saw  Bar- 
rister, too,  at  the  club  the  other  morning.  Hepson's 
gone ;  but  White—" 

"Hepson,  Hepson,  Hepson!"  mimicked  the  Seer, 
with  a  smile  at  her  eagerness.  "But  pray  give  us  more 
news  about  White." 

Valeska  laughed.  "Well,  he's  awfully  sore  on  Bar- 
rister for  some  reason.  He  believes  Mr.  Barrister's  a 
fool,  I  gather." 

"He  isn't  in  love  with  Mrs.  Barrister,  is  he  ?" 
1     "No !     He's  in  love  with  himself,  I  think.    He  said, 
for  one  thing,  that  Barrister  knew  no  more  about  books 
than  he  did  about  poker." 

"Poker!     How's  that?" 

"Why,  I  told  him  I  had  sold  several  copies  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Stage  Club, — I  got  their  names  out  of  the 
Blue  Book,  and  knew  they  played  pretty  hard  there, — 
so  we  got  to  chatting  about  our  luck.  You  see,  I  told 
him  I  liked  to  play  myself,  and  he  began  telling  me  how 
successful  he  always  was.  Then  he  said  he  had  hard 
work  with  some  of  his  friends  to  collect  the  gambling 
debts  they  owed  him." 

"I  see."  The  Master  of  Mysteries  turned  into  his 
den,  and  Valeska  followed  him. 


THE    STOLEN    SHAKESPEARE  37 

"Why,  what's  this?"  she  asked,  pointing  to  a  large, 
flat,  heavy  parcel  on  the  table.  "Why,  it's  addressed  to 
Mr.  Hepson  in  Chicago!  Oh!  have  you  found  the 
Folio  already  ?" 

Astro  smiled.  "I  told  you  some  time  ago  that  Hep- 
son  already  had  it.  But  this  is  getting  warm." 

Valeska  fingered  the  package.  "It  looks  just  like  a 
big  atlas  wrapped  up." 

"It  is,"  said  Astro.  "I  bought  it  at  a  book-shop  after 
I  left  you." 

"What  in  the  world  do  you  want  to  send  it  to  Hep- 
son  for,  then  ?" 

"I  don't  particularly.  But  I  should  like  to  show  it  to 
the  clerk  at  a  certain  branch  office  of  the  Adams  Ex- 
press Company  here." 

"Oh,  I  do  wish  you'd  explain !"  Valeska  exclaimed. 

"I'd  rather  let  you  do  a  little  thinking  for  yourself. 
You  have  seen  White.  You  know  that  Hepson  was  in 
town.  You  have  heard  Barrister's  story.  Nothing 
could  be  simpler.  For  instance,  how  about  Mary  the 
maid,  and  the  violet  ink  stains?  What  would  you 
make  of  that?"  He  stopped  a  moment,  smiling.  "I 
will  tell  you,  however,  that  I  found  the  screw-driver 
that  was  used  to  open  the  bookcase  with  and  to  force 
the  window  with;  for  it  wasn't  a  jimmy  at  all." 

"Where  was  it?" 

"You  recall  when  I  gave  you  the  signal  to  distract 
Mrs.  Barrister's  attention?  You  did  it  very  cleverly. 
At  that  moment  I  was  more  interested  in  the  appear- 
ance of  several  books  in  a  case  in  the  library  than 
I  was  in  the  scrap  of  paper.  The  instrument,  badly 
bent  and  twisted,  was  behind  those  projecting  books." 

"Oh!"  Valeska  studied  at  it.     "No  wonder  Mary 


38         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

couldn't  find  it !  Then  it  must  have  been  Mary,  after 
all.  But  why  didn't  she  throw  the  screw-driver  away  ? 
Perhaps  she  thought  it  would  be  missed,  and  wanted  a 
chance  to  have  it  straightened  out." 

"Perhaps  so,"  said  Astro  dryly. 

"But  what  about  the  scrap  of  paper,  then?"  asked 
the  girl.  "Have  you  made  anything  of  that  ?" 

"A  good  deal,"  replied  the  Master.  "For  instance, 
here's  the  rest  of  the  sheet,"  and  he  took  from  his 
pocket  the  portion  that  he  had  removed  from  the  ash 
barrel.  "Does  that  give  you  a  clue  ?" 

She  studied  a  moment.  "Now,  wait !  Don't  tell  me, 
please !  Your  rule  is,  'Ask  yourself  what  there  is  about 
this  crime  that  distinguishes  it  from  others.  How  is 
it  different  from  the  ordinary  run  of  things?  Then 
seize  upon  that  difference,  be  it  great  or  small,  and 
proceed  logically  and  analytically  in  any  direction  it 
offers/  But  what  is  different?  It's  all  different,  it 
seems  to  me." 

"Well,  you  work  it  out,  and  I'll  go  down  and  try  to 
find  an  express  ofHce  in  which  a  flat  parcel  addressed 
to  a  Chicago  millionaire  will  have  been  noticed.  You 
may  turn  away  any  people  who  come  for  a  reading. 
This  is  going  to  bring  in  more  money  than  I  thought, 
and  it  will  pay  to  follow  it  up  while  it's  hot." 


Valeska  met  him  at  the  front  door  when  he  returned, 
and  said  in  a  low  voice,  "Mr.  Barrister  is  here." 

"Certainly,"  said  Astro.  "I  telephoned  him  to  be 
here  at  four  o'clock." 

"Then  you  are  finished  ?" 

"You'll  see." 


THE   STOLEN   SHAKESPEARE          39 

"I  found  out  that  White  had  left  town  to-day,"  she 
announced. 

"Aha !"  said  the  Seer  cryptically. 

He  went  in  and  bowed  gravely  to  Barrister  in  the 
reception-room.  Valeska  busied  herself  at  her  desk 
and  watched  under  her  brows.  Astro  took  his  accus- 
tomed seat  on  the  divan. 

"Mr.  Barrister,"  he  said,  after  a  pause,  "I  am  sorry 
to  say  that  I  have  been  unable  to  find  either  the  Folio 
or  the  thief." 

The  other  immediately  rose,  shaking  his  head  em- 
phatically and  triumphantly.  "I  thought  as  much,"  he 
said.  "This  is  what  all  this  charlatanry  usually  amounts 
to.  You're  all  alike, — you  can  impose  upon  credulous 
women;  but  when  it  comes  actually  to  accomplishing 
anything,  you  can't  deliver  the  goods.  However,  I've 
satisfied  my  wife,  at  any  rate.  I  suppose  there  will  be 
no  charge  in  these  circumstances,  Mr.  Astro?" 

The  Master  of  Mysteries  twirled  his  thumbs  and 
spoke  dreamily.  "On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Barrister,  my 
services  on  this  case  will  cost  you  just  one  thousand 
dollars." 

His  client  stared  at  him  indignantly.  His  brow  drew 
down.  "What  in  the  world  do  you  mean,  sir?  One 
thousand  dollars !" 

"One  thousand  dollars  is  my  fee.  I  can  give  you  a 
blank  check  if  you  haven't  your  book  with  you." 

"But  you've  discovered  nothing." 

"I  said  that  I  had  not  found  the  book  or  the  thief." 

"And  yet  your  fee,  if  you  had  found  either,  was  to 
have  been  only  five  hundred !  I  don't  understand  what 
you  are  driving  at,  sir !" 

Astro  recrossed  his  legs  and  gave  his  client  gaze  for 


40         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

gaze.  He  spoke  now  very  deliberately.  His  languor- 
ous tone  had  given  place  to  a  crisp  hard  enunciation. 
"Mr.  Barrister,"  he  said,  "what  you  say  is  true.  You 
understand  me  perfectly.  If  I  had  told  you  the  name 
of  the  thief  and  the  location  of  the  book,  I  should  have 
charged  you  only  five  hundred  dollars.  My  price  for 
not  telling  is  one  thousand.  Do  you  understand  me 
now  ?" 

He  took  up  a  crystal  sphere  and  began  to  regard  it 
fixedly. 

Barrister's  face  had  changed  from  perplexity  to  an- 
ger, and  then  to  a  sudden  comprehension.  He  dropped 
his  head  and  gazed  at  the  carpet,  standing  for  some 
moments  irresolute  and  dismayed.  Finally  he  walked 
to  the  desk,  took  the  blank  check  that  Valeska  handed 
to  him,  and  dipped  his  pen  into  the  ink.  He  looked  up. 

"You  never  expect  to  find  the  culprit,  I  suppose  ?"  he 
asked,  with  a  strange  expression  on  his  face. 

"I  never  expect  to,"  answered  the  Seer. 

Barrister  signed  his  name  and  handed  over  the 
check.  "You  are  a  most  extraordinary  young  man, 
sir !"  he  snarled,  and  left  the  room,  slamming  the  door 
behind  him. 


Valeska  stared,  her  brows  knitted.  "Wait  a  min- 
ute !  I've  almost  got  it !  It  was  Barrister  himself  who 
stole  the  book — his  own  book — " 

"Which  his  wife  had  given  him  when  they  were  mar- 
ried ;  don't  forget  that,"  said  Astro. 

"Yes ;  so,  of  course,  he  wouldn't  want  her  to  know  he 
had  been  mean  enough  to  dispose  of  it.  She  is  still  in 
love  with  him,  I  could  see  that,  and  she's  a  sentimental 


i 


Barrister   signed   his   name   and  handed   over   the   check. 


THE    STOLEN    SHAKESPEARE  41 

old  thing,  too.  So  he  had  to  mimic  a  burglary,  did  he  ?" 

"And  very  stupidly  he  did  it, — with  an  ordinary 
screw-driver  which  he  didn't  have  sense  enough  to  de- 
stroy." 

"But  why  did  he  want  the  book?  What  did  he  do 
with  it?" 

"Made  arrangements  with  Hepson  that  morning; 
stole  it  that  afternoon.  Gambling  debt.  You  found 
that  out  yourself  from  White,  who  had  been  forcing 
Barrister  for  the  money,  and  was  sore  because  he 
wouldn't  pay  up.  Barrister  is  sadly  in  need  of  ready 
cash;  I  found  that  out  from  his  bank.  And  Hepson 
offered  him  three  thousand  for  his  Folio." 

"Then  Hepson  has  the  book  now  ?" 

"Or  it's  on  its  way  there.  That's  the  reason  he  turned 
our  telegraph  offer  down.  He  wasn't  interested,  be- 
cause Barrister  had  already  sold  him  his  copy." 

"How  did  you  know  that  ?" 

"Let  me  ask  you  one  question.  What  was  there 
about  this  case  that  was  different  from  most  affairs 
like  it?" 

Valeska  pondered.  "Why,  it  seems  to  me  strange 
that  Barrister  didn't  call  in  the  police  at  once." 

"Precisely.  If  he  had,  he  was  afraid  he  would  have 
trouble,  and  Hepson  might  be  investigated.  It's  easy 
enough  now  for  Barrister  to  keep  his  wife  from  know- 
ing anything  of  the  sale;  and  Hepson  will  be  glad 
enough  at  getting  the  book  to  say  nothing  about  it  for 
a  year  or  two.  There  was  my  start.  It  seemed  queer 
that  Barrister,  losing  so  valuable  a  treasure,  shouldn't 
report  it  at  once  and  have  it  traced,  and  all  the  dealers 
notified.  His  wife's  belief  in  the  occult  was  what  got 
him  safely  over  the  necessity  of  calling  in  the  police.  I 


42         THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

didn't  like  the  way  he  protested  so  much  that  nobody 
had  offered  to  buy  his  Folio.  It  seemed  to  back  up  my 
suspicion." 

"I  rather  suspected  Mary,"  commented  Valeska, 
"when  I  saw  the  violet  stains  on  her  fingers  just  like  the 
ink  on  the  scrap  of  paper.  By  the  way,  where  did  you 
get  the  rest  of  that  paper,  and  what  does  it  mean  ?  It 
quite  led  me  astray." 

"Which  was  precisely  what  it  was  intended  to  do. 
Our  friend  Mr.  Barrister  tried  not  only  to  hide  his  own 
tracks,  but  to  create  false  ones  in  order  to  befuddle  any 
detective  who  tackled  the  job.  I  noticed  the  violet 
writing  as  we  came  past  the  ash  barrels.  So,  I  pre- 
sume, did  Barrister  when  he  came  home  after  commit- 
ting the  robbery.  'Aha!'  he  said  to  himself,  'here's  a 
chance  to  fool  any  detective  that  comes  hunting  for 
clues.  I'll  give  him  clues !'  So  he  took  the  piece,  tore 
off  a  part,  and  carefully  left  it  on  the  floor.  I  confess 
that  was  clever ;  for  as  his  finding  of  it  in  the  ash  can 
was  entirely  accidental,  no  one  knows  where  such  a 
trail  might  have  led  to.  But  the  trouble  is  that  such  a 
man  always  goes  too  far,  especially  when  he  has  to 
work  in  a  hurry.  Now,  there's  the  case  of  the  boots, 
for  instance." 

"But  I  didn't  see  any  boots." 

"I  saw  one  in  the  ash  barrel, — a  left  shoe.  When  I 
looked  out  the  window  that  was  supposed  to  have  been 
forced,  I  saw  the  prints  of  a  right  boot;  but  it  had 
nails  in  the  heel  arranged  just  as  its  brother  in  the  bar- 
rel had.  Of  course  Barrister  took  the  shoe  out  of  the 
barrel  and  used  it  to  make  the  footprints  of  a  suppos- 
ititious burglar." 

"Why,"  exclaimed  the  girl,  "it's  just  as  wonderful  as 


THE   STOLEN   SHAKESPEARE          43 

if  you  had  really  done  it  with  crystal  gazing!  But  I 
don't  see  how  you  could  be  sure,  after  all.  There  was 
White,  who  might  have  been  Hepson's  tool." 

"Yes,  I  had  two  lines  I  might  have  worked  on, — 
White  as  well  as  Barrister, — but  White  had  been  win- 
ning plenty  of  money,  and  is  well-off,  anyway.  He 
wouldn't  go  around  jimmying  windows  to  get  things, 
either." 

"Still,  I  insist  you  had  nothing  that  absolutely  con- 
nected Barrister  with  his  own  misdeeds." 

"Hadn't  I  ?  If  you  had  gone  into  about  ten  branch 
express  offices  in  the  down-town  district  as  I  had,  you'd 
have  found  out.  You  recall  my  package?  It  was  just 
the  same  size  as  the  Folio.  I  finally  found  the  office  that 
I  was  looking  for,  and  said  to  the  clerk,  'I  sent  a  pack- 
age to  Mr.  Hepson  two  days  ago,  and  he  telegraphs 
that  it  hasn't  been  received.  So  I'm  sending  this.  I 
wish  you'd  look  it  up  and  see  what's  the  matter.  It's 
from  Renold  M.  White.'  Well,  the  clerk  looked  over 
his  record  of  carbon  duplicate  receipts,  and  said, 
There  was  a  package  sent  from  a  Mr.  Barrister  to  a 
Mr.  Hepson  in  Chicago ;  but  none  from  White.'  So  I 
said,  'Never  mind,'  and  left." 

The  two  sat  in  silence  for  some  time.  At  last  the 
Master  of  Mysteries  spoke : 

"There  is  just  one  thing  I  don't  like  about  this  case 
of  the  theft  of  the  First  Folio  Shakespeare." 

"What's  that?"  asked  Valeska. 

"This  is  the  first  time  I  go  on  record  as  not  having 
run  down  my  quarry;  but  it  has  paid  fairly  well — for 
two  days'  work."  And  he  smiled  as  he  took  up  an  an- 
tique volume  of  the  Kabala. 


THE  MACDOUGAL  STREET 
AFFAIR 

ENTERING  the  room  slowly,  grave  and  distin- 
guished in  his  flowing  silken  robes,  Astro  did 
not  glance  at  his  visitor  till  he  had  seated  himself  in  a 
picturesque  pose  upon  the  divan.  Then,  taking  up  the 
silver  mouthpiece  of  his  water-pipe,  he  gave  a  long 
sober  look  at  the  stranger. 

"It's  a  pity  you  are  unhappily  married,"  he  said, 
gazing  languidly  at  the  red  and  gold  ceiling  above  him. 
He  semed  to  pay  little  attention  to  the  thick  hairy 
hand  of  his  client,  which  lay  limp  on  the  velvet  cushion. 

Opposite  him  the  bull-necked,  red-faced  man  sat  star- 
ing in  amazement,  no  longer  wearing  the  contemptu- 
ous, amused  expression  with  which  he  had  entered  the 
astrological  parlors  of  the  slim,  romantic-looking, 
young  man  in  the  turban.  Like  many  another  unbe- 
liever who  had  come  to  test  Astro  in  that  very  room, 
his  look  had  changed  gradually  from  scorn  to  interest, 
until  now  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  palmist  with  eager 
curiosity  and  perplexity. 

"No  doubt  it's  her  fault,"  Astro  continued ;  "for  she 
is  indifferent  and  selfish.  It  might  be  better  if  you 
were  to  let  it  come  to  an  actual  quarrel,  and  be  sepa- 
rated." He  reached  for  his  narghile,  and  took  a  long 
bubbling  whiff  of  perfumed  smoke,  as  if,  as  far  as  he 

44 


THE   MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      45 

was  concerned,  the  matter  had  been  weighed  and  set- 
tled. 

There  came  at  this  moment  the  sound  of  a  muffled 
electric  bell.  His  client  still  gazed  stupidly  in  front  of 
him,  but  said  nothing.  He  did  not  seem  to  notice  the 
signal. 

Astro,  however,  rose  and  went  to  a  pair  of  black  vel- 
vet curtains  hanging  at  one  side  of  the  wall  behind  his 
visitor's  back.  There  was  a  mirror  hung  above  which 
reflected  the  stocky  form  of  the  man  at  the  little  table, 
the  bulge  of  a  revolver  in  his  hip  pocket,  and  the  round 
head  with  its  short  cropped  hair.  The  head  did  not 
turn.  Astro  parted  the  hangings  deftly  and  peered 
within.  On  a  level  with  his  eyes  was  a  small  square 
window,  lighted  from  behind.  Against  the  glass  a 
sheet  of  paper  was  fastened,  and  on  it  was  written  in 
a  feminine  scrawl,  "Plain-clothes  man.  Working  on 
the  Macdougal  Street  dynamite  case." 

Valeska  smiled  at  him  from  the  secret  cabinet. 

Astro  picked  up  a  magnifying-glass,  dropped  the 
curtains,  and  returned  to  his  client.  Seating  himself, 
he  looked  carefully  at  the  lines  in  the  detective's  palm ; 
after  which  he  took  a  small  crystal  sphere  from  a  draw- 
er in  the  table,  set  it  on  the  cushion,  and  seemed  to  lose 
himself  in  prolonged  contemplation  of  the  mysteries 
hidden  within  it.  His  vis-a-vis  fidgeted  restlessly. 

"You  are  a  busy  man  indeed,"  commented  Astro, 
half  aloud.  "Not  only  are  you  keeping  your  eye  on  the 
crooks  around  the  Rennick  Hotel,  and  investigating 
several  pool-room  layouts,  but  you  come  up  here  in 
reality  to  see  if  my  place  is,  as  you  would  call  it,  'on  the 
square'.  How  on  earth  you  have  time  for  all  this,  when 
you  are  so  puzzled  about  the  Macdougal  Street  busi- 


46         THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

ness,  is  more  than  I  can  see.  You  must  be  a  man  of 
extraordinary  resource." 

The  officer  stared  like  a  child  at  the  dreamy-eyed 
Oriental  before  him.  "Gosh!"  he  said  almost  plain- 
tively. Then  he  rose  and  thrust  his  big  hairy  hands 
into  his  pockets.  "Say,  what  do  you  know  about  that 
dynamite  affair,  anyway?"  he  asked. 

Astro  smiled.  "Nothing.  I'm  too  busy  to  trouble 
about  things  that  are  not  any  of  my  business." 

"But  what  if  it  was  your  business?"  continued  the 
policeman  eagerly.  "What  if  I  made  it  an  object  to 
you?" 

Astro  assumed  a  dramatic  air  of  omnipotence. 

"Ah!"  answered  the  Seer.  "No  doubt  I  could  tell 
you  anything  you  wished  to  know." 

The  man  drew  out  a  pocketbook.  "See  here,"  he 
said,  tapping  it,  "I  ain't  rich  by  any  means ;  but  I'm  up 
against  it  on  this  case,  and  if  you  can  look  into  them 
glasses  and  give  me  a  tip,  I'll  make  it  worth  your 
while." 

Astro  laughed.  "Oh,  it's  not  quite  so  simple  as  that. 
You  must  understand,  my  dear  sir,  that  I  can  do  abso- 
lutely nothing  without  coming  into  direct  personal  con- 
tact with  the  vibrations  emanating  from  the  scene  or 
from  the  individual.  I  can  tell  about  you,  because  you 
happen  to  be  before  me ;  but  I  should  have  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  place  in  order  to  become  sensitive  to  the  oc- 
cult influences  that  have  permeated  the  vicinity  of  the 
crime.  Do  you  understand?" 

The  officer  evidently  did  not  understand ;  but  he  was 
in  nowise  deterred  from  making  use  of  this  power  that 
had  so  impressed  him.  "I'll  take  you  up  there,"  he 
offered. 


THE    MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      47 

"Very  well,"  said  Astro.    "I'll  help  you  on  this  case, 

Mr.  — " 

"McGraw." 

" — Mr.Graw,  with  tHe  distinct  understanding,  how- 
ever, that  I  am  to  be  left  to  do  what  I  like,  undisturbed 
and  unwatched.  Utter  abstraction,  my  dear  sir,  the 
harmony  of  the  Tatvic  Rythm,  is  in  all  instances  abso- 
lutely necessary.  I  see  the  invisible ;  I  hear  the  inaudi- 
ble; I  touch  the  intangible." 

The  detective  stood  like  a  cow  gazing  on  an  eighth 
wonder  of  the  world.  "All  right,"  he  said,  lamely. 
"When'll  you  come?" 

"At  three  this  afternoon.  Meet  me  in  front  of  the 
place — number  950,  isn't  it?  That's  right.  But  first  I 
should  like  to  know  what  you  have  learned  about  the 
matter." 

"Well,  it's  just  this  way.  There's  a  chap  at  number 
950  named  Pietro  Gallino.  He  has  a  wholesale  wine 
and  grocery  shop,  and  does  a  considerable  importing 
business ;  he  also  acts  as  a  sort  of  local  banker.  Two 
weeks  ago  he  got  a  letter  that  was  made  up  of  words 
torn  out  of  a  newspaper,  telling  him  to  leave  a  thous- 
and dollars  in  ten-dollar  bills  underneath  a  certain 
bench  by  the  arch  into  Washington  Square.  He  was  to 
put  it  there  the  next  night,  or  else  his  place  would  be 
blown  up.  He  went  dippy  about  it,  of  course,  and  re- 
ported it  to  the  police  right  away.  We  told  him  to  put 
up  a  dummy  package  and  carry  out  instructions.  He 
did  that  and  the  place  was  watched.  Nobody  came,  of 
course.  The  next  day  there  was  an  explosion  in  front 
of  his  store,  and  it  smashed  up  the  windows  and  doors 
good  and  plenty.  Then  he  got  another  letter,  some- 
thing like  the  first  one,  only  he  was  to  put  the  money  in 


48         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

a  certain  fire  bucket  on  the  third  floor  of  a  building  at 
231  Vestry  Street.  Somebody  came  that  time!  but, 
with  three  exits  to  the  building  and  us  watching  every 
one  of  them,  we  couldn't  nab  our  man.  The  next  day 
there  was  an  explosion  on  top  of  Gallino's  building,  and 
then  came  this  last  letter." 

He  took  from  his  pocketbook  a  sheet  of  paper,  folded. 
On  it  were  pasted  irregular  fragments  from  the  adver- 
tising pages  of  a  newspaper.  It  read  as  follows : 

"Have  a  thousand  dollars  with  you,  day  and 
night.  We  will  tell  you  how  to  pay  before  the 
twelfth.  If  any  more  tricks,  will  blow  you  to 
pieces  sure  I" 

It  was  signed  with  the  dread  insignia  of  the  Black 
Hand, — a  skull  and  cross-bones  and  a  rudely  drawn 
hand. 

Astro  looked  at  it  carelessly,  pressed  it  to  his  fore- 
head, fingered  it  sensitively,  and  then  put  it  in  his 
pocket  with  composure.  "Very  well.  I  get  from  this 
letter,  even  now,  a  subtle  impression,  and  when  I  en- 
counter these  vibrations  in  the  flesh  I  shall  immediately 
recognize  them.  The  criminal  has  a  violet  soul,  tend- 
ing toward  purple.  Purples  are  malicious  and  very 
dangerous.  This  aura  distresses  me."  And  he  fop- 
pishly sniffed  at  a  bottle  of  smelling-salts. 

The  effect  of  this  was  not  lost  on  McGraw.  "I  don't 
know  how  the  mischief  you  get  wise,"  said  the  dazed 
officer;  "but  it  don't  matter  how  you  turn  the  trick, 
just  so  you  deliver  the  goods.  I'll  see  you  at  three 
then.  And  be  mighty  careful  of  that  paper !" 

Astro  nodded  impassively  as  his  visitor  left.  Then 
he  pressed  an  electric  button,  and  Valeska  Wynne,  his 


THE    MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      49 

young  assistant,  entered  the  room  with"  a  free  and  easy, 
graceful,  girlish  stride.  She  smiled  quickly,  and  lifted 
her  eyebrows  at  the  departing  plain-clothes  man. 

"Easy  enough  to  tip  you  that  time,"  she  remarked, 
"I  passed  him  on  the  stairs  with  a  policeman,  and 
caught  a  few  words.  Anything  in  him  ?" 

"No  money;  but  it's  a  good  advertisement,  and  it 
g-ets  me  in  with  the  police,  so  that  I  shall  be  able  to  rely 
on  them  for  help  from  time  to  time.  Did  you  notice 
the  chalk  on  his  sleeve  ?" 

"Sure ;  but  I  didn't  have  time  to  tell  you,  and  I  knew 
you'd  get  that.  Billiard  cue,  I  suppose?" 

"Hardly — not  in  this  Broadway  neighborhood; 
though  it's  possible.  Billiard-cue  chalk  hereabout  is 
generally  green  in  color.  That  white  stuff  probably 
means  a  bucket-shop.  He's  been  nosing  round  illegal 
race-track,  gambling  places,  I  imagine.  At  least  I  told 
him  so,  and  it  took.  Notice  the  dab  of  gilt  paint  on  his 
vest?" 

"No,"  answered  the  girl. 

"They're  rebronzing  the  furnishings  and  decorations 
in  the  Rennick  lobby  to-day.  Inasmuch  as  that  is  the 
notorious  hotel  for  crooks  of  all  descriptions,  I  saw  at 
a  glance  that  he  had  been  there.  Did  you  observe  his 
handkerchief?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  she  eagerly,  glad  at  last  to  have 
caught  one  point  in  the  train  of  the  master's  deduction. 
"It  was  a  small  one — a  woman's,  of  course." 

"And  the  top  button  of  his  coat?" 

"No."    Valeska's  face  fell. 

"Sewed  on  with  fine  copper  wire  instead  of  thread. 
What  do  you  make  of  that  ?"  •  He  surveyed  her  quiz- 
zically. 


50         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

She  puckered  her  pretty  face  for  a  moment,  then 
raised  her  fair  blue  eyes  interrogatively.  "They  seem 
contradictory,  don't  they?  The  handkerchief  would 
suggest  marriage ;  unless  it's  a  souvenir — " 

"No.  He  used  it  too  strenuously,  I'm  afraid,  for 
any  sentiment  to  be  attached  to  it;  his  only  emotion 
seemed  to  be  disgust  at  its  size — or  lack  of  size.  His 
wife's,  of  course.  She's  alive,  and  with  him,  or  her 
handkerchiefs  wouldn't  be  where  he'd  pick  one  up  in  a 
hurry;  probably  mixed  in  with  his  when  the  laundry 
came  home." 

"It  might  be  his  sister's,"  suggested  the  girl. 

"Why  didn't  she  sew  his  buttons  on  for  him,  then? 
Oh,  it's  simple  enough.  But  your  tip  was  what  really 
helped  me  most  with  McGraw — that's  his  name — after 
all.  He  wants  me  to  help  him  solve  the  Macdougal 
Street  mystery." 

In  a  few  minutes  Astro  went  over  the  history  of  the 
affair,  and  laid  the  last  threatening  letter  on  the  table. 
Valeska  inspected  it  carefully. 

"The  pieces  are  all  cut  from  the  advertising  pages  of 
The  Era,"  she  said  finally. 

"Good!  Except  these  two,  which,  you  see,  instead 
of  being  cut,  are  torn  along  the  edge.  Not  much  of  a 
clue,  but  worth  remembering." 

"What  do  you  know  about  the  Black  Hand?"  Va- 
leska asked. 

"As  much  as  any  one,  and  that  is — nothing.  Even 
Petrosini,  the  greatest  of  metropolitan  Italian  sleuths, 
said  that  there  was  no  such  thing.  Warburton,  on  Im- 
migration, has  some  very  interesting  chapters  concern- 
ing the  bloodthirsty  Sicilian  and  his  criminal  organiza- 
tion, all  of  which  have  been  corroborated  in  the  recent 


THE   MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      51 

Camorra  and  Mafia  trials.  But  here  in  America  there 
is  really  no  Black  Hand ;  although  the  rather  melodra- 
matic name  is  made  use  of  from  time  to  time  by  indi- 
viduals bent  on  extortion.  It  is  a  great  terrorizer.  In 
this  instance,  the  work  is  clearly  that  of  one  person. 
The  affair  looks  simple.  I'll  get  my  vibrations  easily 
enough ;  you  just  see  if  I  don't !  It  isn't  half  so  difficult 
as  that  interior  epicycloid  I  was  at  work  on  last  night. 
Be  ready  at  three  o'clock." 


Until  that  time  Astro  the  Seer  was  characteristically 
picturesque.  Curious  women  listened  to  his  talk  about 
them  in  delight,  men  came  with  ill-disguised  scorn  and 
left  the  studio  in  admiration,  and  through  it  all  he 
gazed  into  crystals,  and  intoned  cabalistic  words. 
When  the  last  client,  however,  had  disappeared,  Astro 
threw  off  his  turban  and  robe,  yawned  prodigiously, 
and  became  his  real,  alert,  keen-eyed  self.  With  Va- 
leska  Wynne  he  walked  rapidly  down  Fifth  Avenue, 
across  Washington  Square,  and  along  Macdougal 
Street  to  number  950,  where  he  found  McGraw  await- 
ing him  in  some  impatience.  At  once  the  mask  fell 
again  over  Astro's  handsome  poetic  face ;  no  summer 
saunterer  seemed  ever  more  idle  or  indifferent. 
I  "Ah,  here  you  are,  sir,"  said  the  detective  with  evi- 
dent relief  as  he  tipped  his  hat  to  Valeska.  "And  here's 
the  joint." 

The  house  still  showed  signs  of  the  recent  outrage. 
The  broken  frames  of  the  front  windows  were  boarded 
up,  and  several  beams  held  the  tottering  lumber  in 
place.  The  sidewalk  was  not  yet  repaired,  but  had  been 
hastily  covered  with  loose  planks.  Evidently  the  bomb 


52         THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

thrower  had  created  a  terrific  disturbance.  Every  pane 
of  glass  in  the  building  was  shattered.  As  a  result  of 
the  latest  attempt  upon  Gallino's  life,  the  whole  top  of 
the  store  was  a  mass  of  broken  timber  in  front;  the 
back  part  of  the  roof  seemed  not  to  have  been  dis- 
turbed. A  small  group  of  silent  wide-eyed  Italians 
hung  about  the  place,  eying  the  evidences  of  destruc- 
tion in  awe. 

Astro  scarcely  gave  the  place  a  glance ;  but,  accom- 
panied by  McGraw  and  Valeska,  entered  the  store  and 
spoke  a  few  commonplaces  to  the  proprietor,  who,  with 
hunted  face,  gazed  anxiously  at  the  officer.  Valeska's 
eyes  roamed  vivaciously  about  the  interior,  taking  in 
everything. 

"Don't  you  suspect  any  one?"  she  asked  Gallino  at 
length. 

"Yassa,  ma'am,  I  do.  I  say  it  ees  Tony,  my  ol'  clerk. 
He  ees  no  good,  that-a  boy.  I  fire  'im.  That  ees-a 
one  week  ago.  I  tell-a  da  cop;  he  say-a  no.  Tony, 
he  live  across  da  street  right-a  now.  He  blow  me  up-a 
for  sure.  You  wait  teel  I  catch-a  heem !" 

McGraw  laughed  easily.  "The  old  man's  nutty 
about  it,  that's  all.  We  looked  up  Antonio's  record. 
He  had  good  alibis,  too.  Nothing  to  that  theory." 

Astro  seemed  to  come  out  of  his  daze  and  began  to 
take  an  interest  in  the  chatter  about  him.  "Well,  Mr. 
McGraw,"  he  announced,  as  he  picked  his  way  daintily 
among  the  debris,  "I've  seen  what  I  care  to  inspect  in 
this  part  of  the  building ;  now,  if  you  will  kindly  leave 
me  to  wander  about  the  place  as  I  like,  I  may  get  those 
influences  and  manifestations  that  will  enable  me  to  use 
my  crystals  to  good  advantage." 

The  bulky  officer  immediately  looked  disappointed. 


THE    MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      53 

He  had  evidently  expected  the  Master  of  Mysteries  to 
announce  the  author  of  the  crime  at  once ;  and  there- 
fore it  was  with  an  unwilling  nod  that  he  withdrew. 

"I'd  like  to  go  up  on  the  roof  first,"  said  Astro  to  the 
Italian  merchant.  "It  was  there,  I  believe,  that  the 
latest  explosion  occurred." 

Gallino  showed  the  way  up  to  a  trap-door  in  the  rear, 
and  left  Valeska  and  her  companion  on  the  ruined 
roof. 

"Ah,  this  is  more  like  business !"  he  said.  "Valeska, 
see  what  you  can  find  around  here  that's  interesting." 
Then  he  walked  directly  toward  the  blank  wall  of  the 
adjoining  building.  This  rose  three  stories  above  Gal- 
lino's  roof,  and  against  it  lay  a  number  of  pieces  of 
scantling,  untouched  by  the  explosion.  Over  these  As- 
tro bent  in  search,  while  Valeska,  left  to  herself,  in- 
spected the  hole  that  the  dynamiter  had  torn  in  the 
middle  front  of  the  roof. 

"Here  we  are !"  came  his  voice  enthusiastically  a  mo- 
ment later.  She  ran  over  toward  him  in  surprise,  to 
find  him  gazing  across  at  the  buildings  on  the  other  side 
of  the  street.  Between  his  thumb  and  forefinger  he 
held  a  tiny  object. 

"I've  got  it!"  he  announced,  and  continued  his  in- 
spection of  the  house  across  the  way. 

"Got  what?"  she  asked. 

"The  whole  secret,  as  far  as  that  goes.  But  spe- 
cifically, I've  got  what  I  came  up  here  for.  What  did 
you  come  up  for?" 

"Because  you  did,"  she  confessed.  "And,  too,  on 
the  chance  of  finding  something." 

"One  doesn't  solve  mysteries  that  way,  Valeska. 
There  is  no  use  looking  for  something  unless  you  know 


54         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

what  that  something  is.  Have  you  decided  how  a  bomb 
was  exploded  on  top  of  this  roof  in  broad  daylight, 
with  people  watching  the  house?  Until  you've  got 
that,  you  are  nowhere." 

"It  might  have  been  thrown  from  the  top  of  a  build- 
ing up  there." 

"And  anybody  could  have  seen  it.  No.  There  was 
only  one  possible  way,  besides  electric  wiring,  and  here 
it  is."  He  opened  his  hand  and  disclosed  a  small 
twisted  bullet. 

"Oh !"  cried  the  girl.  "They  put  the  bomb  there  and 
then  shot  at  it." 

"Yes.  Shot  at  it — and  missed  the  first  time.  Now, 
here  we  find  the  place  where  the  first  bullet,  going 
wild,  hit  this  piece  of  scantling.  This  makes  it  merely 
a  matter  of  surveying.  If  you  will  stand  with  the  back 
of  your  head  where  the  indentation  of  this  bullet  is, 
then  sight  across  the  approximate  middle  of  the  hole  in 
the  roof  caused  by  the  explosion,  you  will  probably  get 
some  idea  of  where  the  bullet  came  from.  What  do 
you  see?" 

"Well,  it  might  have  been  aimed  from  any  one  of 
those  three  windows  over  there,  in  the  building  next  to 
the  shirt  factory.  I  should  say  it  came  from  the  sec- 
ond one,  where  the  potted  plant  is." 

"One  of  them,  certainly,"  answered  Astro.  "But 
we  shall  have  to  investigate  them  all,  if  we  are  to  be 
conscientious  about  it,  and  for  that  purpose  I  suggest 
we  look  up  McGraw  again." 

'f   As  they  went  down-stairs,  Valeska  asked,  "When  did 
the  first  explosion  occur  ?" 

"At  night." 


THE   MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      55 

"Then  the  bomb  was  merely  hurled  from  the  win- 
dow?" 

"Presumably.  Nothing  could  be  easier,  and,  of 
course,  it  could  not  be  definitely  seen  or  traced.  But 
here  is  McGraw ;  so  let  us  take  advantage  of  his  office." 

The  detective,  though  delighted  to  accompany  Astro, 
and  especially  his  pretty  assistant,  into  the  house  across 
the  street,  belittled  the  possibilities  of  finding  anything 
there.  "I've  been  into  every  room  on  the  block,  and  I 
saw  nothing.  But  I  ain't  got  the  second  sight,  o' 
course.  All  I  can  say  is,  I  hope  you  track  'em." 

The  party  went  up-stairs  into  a  cheap  lodging-house, 
accompanied  by  a  frightened  and  voluble  landlady,  un- 
til they  reached  the  third  floor  fronting  on  the  street. 
McGraw  knocked  on  the  first  door;  but,  getting  no 
answer,  motioned  the  landlady  to  unlock. 

It  was  a  small  room,  in  great  disorder,  looking  as  if 
the  tenant  had  suddenly  taken  his  departure.  The  bed 
was  unmade,  the  small  bureau  was  covered  with  soiled 
linen,  neckties,  cigarette  stubs,  and  the  like,  and  a  mis- 
cellaneous lot  of  shoes,  magazines,  newspapers,  and 
rubbish  were  strewed  on  the  floor.  McGraw  started 
to  push  his  way  in  officiously ;  but  the  slim  hand  of  the 
Seer  detained  him. 

"Kindly  wait  outside  a  moment,"  he  commanded. 
"My  assistant  and  I  would  prefer  to  enter  alone.  The 
vibrations,  you  know,"  he  murmured,  with  a  smile. 
The  moment  the  door  was  shut  behind  them,  two  pairs 
of  eyes  ransacked  the  place,  hunting  for  the  things  they 
had  already  decided  to  find.  Astro's  were-  the  first  to 
come  to  rest  on  a  pile  of  crumpled  newspapers  hastily 
thrown  beneath  the  unkempt  bed.  In  a  flash  he  had 


56         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

seized  them  and  was  scanning  them  one  by  one.  Finally 
he  separated  an  Era  from  the  rest  of  the  sheets, 
turned  it  toward  Valeska,  and  smiled.  She  saw  that 
one  page  had  been  torn  out. 

"The  advertising  page,"  he  remarked.  He  drew  out 
the  Black  Hand  letter  and  compared  the  torn  scraps 
silently  with  the  journal  in  his  hand,  nodded  his  head 
in  confirmation,  then  silently  opened  the  door. 

"Who  lives  here  ?"  he  asked  the  woman  of  the  house. 

"Antonio  Soroni." 

Astro  turned  to  the  detective.  "Arrest  him  to-night 
and  bring  him  to  my  apartments  at  eight  o'clock." 

"Did  he  really  do  it?"  asked  McGraw  eagerly. 

Astro  turned  away  without  answering. 

"Kindly  don't  put  any  questions  to  him,"  interrupted 
Valeska ;  "for  he  is  now  getting  in  touch  with  the  psy- 
chic influences  of  the  place." 

"Now  for  the  next  room,  please,"  announced  the 
Master  of  Mysteries,  as  if  suddenly  wakening. 

"Oh,  that's  vacant,"  said  the  landlady  with  arms 
akimbo.  "A  young  girl  had  it  until  last  Friday;  but 
she's  left." 

Valeska  turned  at  once.  "When  was  the  last  explo- 
sion, did  you  say,  Mr.  McGraw  ?" 

"Thursday." 

"And  when  did  you  search  these  rooms  ?" 

"Friday,  miss.  The  girl  was  here  when  I  came. 
Fine  looker,  too,  she  was.  A  sort  of  laundress  or  seam- 
stress or  clerk  or  something ;  out  of  work,  she  said." 

"Well,  better  look  her  up  too,  McGraw,"  said  Astro, 
"and  bring  her  around  with'  Antonio." 

He  walked  into  the  empty  room,  and  Valeska  fol- 
lowed him.  The  plain-clothes  man  and  the  proprietress 


THE    MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      57 

awaited  patiently  until  they  came  out  again,  some 
fifteen  minutes  later.  Their  faces  betrayed  nothing 
whatever  concerning  their  search. 

"Now,  the  third  door!"  Astro's  voice  was  sharp 
and  commanding.  The  others  pricked  up  their  ears  in 
expectation. 

McGraw  knocked;  but  there  was  no  answer.  He 
knocked  again,  and  the  listening  party  caught  the  sound 
of  unintelligible  cursing,  heavy  and  befuddled.  At 
this  the  officer  took  the  key  in  haste,  threw  open  the 
door,  and  looked  inside,  his  hand  on  the  butt  of  his  re- 
volver. One  glance,  and  he  had  jumped  inside,  collar- 
ing the  man  on  the  bed. 

"It's  Bull  O'Kennery,  by  all  that's  holy!  Think  o' 
meetin'  you  this  way,  Bull!  Get  up  now,  an'  come 
along  with  us ;  for  I've  been  huntin'  you  two  weeks  an' 
more!  Where've  you  been  spendin'  your  vacation, 
anyway  ?" 

The  prostrate  man  rubbed  his  thick  knuckles  into  his 
eyes  and  expostulated  brokenly  with  a  maudlin  drunken 
accent.  In  a  jiffy  McGraw  had  dragged  him  upright 
and  placed  him  against  the  wall  outside,  snapping  the 
bracelets  on  his  wrists  as  he  did  so.  Then  the  detective 
turned  to  Astro. 

"This  here's  Bull,  one  o'  the  slickest  dips  in  the  burg. 
There's  been  a  warrant  out  for  his  arrest  for  over  two 
weeks  now.  He'll  be  the  man  we're  after,  too,  most 
likely.  Anyway,  he'll  have  to  go  up  and  give  an  ac- 
count." 

Astro  surveyed  the  disheveled  prisoner  nonchalantly, 
took  up  his  hand,  examined  the  palm,  the  lower  lid  of 
his  eye,  and  listened  to  his  heart-beats,  his  head  against 
the  man's  chest.  "Bah !"  he  exclaimed  with  a  nauseated 


58         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

shrug  of  his  shoulders,  "he's  been  drunk  for  sixty 
hours.  Take  him  away,  McGraw.  He  makes  me  quite 
ill.  I'll  attend  to  the  rest  of  this  alone." 

After  the  detective  had  led  the  wretch  shuffling  down 
the  stairs,  the  palmist  and  Valeska  entered  the  room 
and  threw  up  the  blinds.  It  was  a  sickening  enough 
abode,  smelling  vilely  of  whisky,  stale  beer,  and  staler 
tobacco  smoke.  A  sluggish  kerosene  lamp  still  burned 
weakly  on  the  mantel.  Amid  the  mass  of  tangled  rub- 
bish a  bureau  drawer  stood  half  open.  Astro  strode 
over  to  it.  With  a  sudden  gesture  he  took  out  a  box 
of  twenty-two  caliber  cartridges ;  then  a  woman's  pock- 
etbook,  a  ten-dollar  bill,  a  piece  of  old-fashioned  paper 
fractional  currency  of  fifty-cent  denomination,  and  a 
horn-handled  shoe-buttoner. 

"I  think  we're  getting  at  it  now !"  he  exclaimed,  his 
eyes  alight  with  discovery. 

"But,  for  heaven's  sake,  which  one  of  them  did  it? 
Antonio  ?  Bull  O'Kennery  ?  Or  the  girl  ?  Or  all  three 
together?" 

"Or  none  of  them?"  smiled  Astro.  Suddenly  his 
mood  changed  as  he  weighed  the  bullet  thoughtfully  in 
his  hand.  "It's  a  very  pretty  piece  of  business,"  he 
went  on.  "What  was  it  the  old  Frenchman  said  in  his 
wisdom, — Cherchez  la  femme?  I'm  afraid  Mr.  Gallino 
across  the  street  is  up  against  it;  unless — hum — well, 
we'll  see  what  McGraw  gets  into  his  net  by  nightfall." 


Valeska  never  questioned  further  than  the  Master 
wished  to  answer ;  for  she  knew  that  it  merely  dis- 
turbed the  marvelous  deductive  powers  of  his  brain 
while  they  were  at  work ;  then,  too,  he  preferred  her,  as 


THE    MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      59 

she  was,  so  to  speak,  still  in  her  student  days,  to  work 
out  her  own  clues.  Later,  in  case  she  had  erred,  he  in- 
dulgently pointed  out  her  mistakes.  It  was  in  some 
such  tacit  understanding  that  they  now  left  the  Mac- 
dougal  Street  tenement  and  made  their  way  back  to 
Astro's  cozy  studio. 

Once  there,  she  could  see  from  the  way  in  which  he 
donned  his  turban  and  robe,  lighted  his  water-pipe, 
and  disposed  himself  on  the  cushioned  divan  in  his  fa- 
vorite corner,  that  he  had  already  solved  the  problem 
to  his  own  satisfaction.  Above  the  top  shelf  a  row  of 
the  ancient  Toltec,  laughing  heads  grinned  down  on 
him;  farther  on,  brazen  implements  and  slabs  of  mar- 
velous jade  wrought  with  hieroglyphics  gleamed  dully, 
adding  their  touch  of  mystery  to  the  man  beneath. 
On  the  table  were  the  sheets  of  paper  and  the  dividers 
and  rule  with  which  he  had  been  plotting  an  intricate 
curve,  and  this  work  he  again  took  up  immediately. 
Valeska  withdrew.  After  an  hour's  work,  heedless  of 
the  passage  of  dinner-time,  he  smiled,  carefully  laid 
aside  his  instruments,  and  turned  to  a  plaster  cast  hung 
against  the  wall. 

"It  is  true,  then,  as  I  thought,  about  you,  Monsieur 
Voltaire,"  he  murmured,  half  aloud.  "The  line  of  the 
upper  half  of  the  perimeter  of  that  right  ear  of  yours 
is  a  logarithmic  spiral,  of  which  the  equation  is 
x*  =  2ab  +  y."  He  threw  back  his  head  and  yawned. 

Valeska  glided  in.  "McGraw  has  come  with  An- 
tonio," she  whispered,  "and  has  been  waiting  half  an 
hour;  but  I  wouldn't  interrupt  you  until  you  had  fin- 
ished your  calculations.  Shall  I  let  them  in  now  ?" 

Astro  yawned  again,  luxuriously.  "You  are  too  in- 
dulgent of  me,  my  dear  girl,  I'm  very  much  afraid. 


60          THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

The  delay  may  cost  Signer  Gallino  a  thousand  dollars, 
possibly  his  life.   Yes,  you  may  show  them  in." 

In  another  moment  the  officer  appeared,  leading  by 
the  sleeve  a  very  badly  frightened  Italian.  The  mo- 
ment the  latter  perceived  the  gorgeously  picturesque 
figure  of  the  palmist  he  rushed  across  the  room  and 
sank  on  the  floor,  clutching  Astro  by  the  knees. 

"I  no  t'row-a  da  bomb !"  he  screamed.  "I  no  t'row-a 
da  bomb !  Sacrament' !  I  spika  da  trut' !  I  no  t'row-a 
bomb,  signor!  Gallino  he  give-a  me  da  bounce,  si!  I 
shake-a-da  fist  in  da  face ;  bot  I  no  t'row-a  da  bomb !" 
At  that  the  tears  streamed  from  his  wild  eyes. 

Astro  waved  his  hand  impatiently,  took  up  Antonio's 
hand,  and  began  reading  the  palm,  only  to  let  it  drop 
in  a  few  moments. 

"This  young  lady  who  roomed  next  to  you,"  he  said 
gently, — "you  liked  her,  Antonio?" 

The  accused's  eyes  beamed.  "Ah,  si,  signor!  She 
the  fine-a,  nice-a  girl.  She  speak-a  to  me,  nice !" 

"Very  of  ten?" 

"Ah,  no,  signor !  She  lock  herself  in  da  room  all-a 
da  time.  Some  eve  she  come-a  in,  get-a  da  match.  Da's 
all.  Read-a  da  pape',  maybe,  sometime." 

Astro  cast  a  quick  significant  look  at  Valeska  under 
his  dark  brows.  "When  did  she  come  in  and  tear  out 
a  page  from  The  Era,  Tony  ?" 

Antonio  scratched  his  head,  laboring  to  remember. 
"Sometime  dees-a  last-a  wik,  early.  Si.  One  night  she 
come  in,  she  say,  Tony,  I  like-a  get-a  da  posish.  You 
lemme  take-a  do  pape'.  I  brink  'er  back.'  I  say  'No,  I 
wanta-da  pape'  for  read-a  to-night/  She  say,  'All-a 
right ;  I  tear  off  da  one  piece/  " 


I   no   t'row-a   da   bomb !  "   he   cried. 


THE   MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      61 

Astro  turned  to  McGraw,  "You'd  better  turn  this 
poor  fellow  loose,  I  think.  He's  innocent  enough.  I 
know  what  I  want  to  know  now." 

"What  do  you  know?"  said  the  detective  peevishly. 
"Seems  to  me  it's  time  I  was  put  wise  to  some  of  this 
game,  ain't  it  ?" 

"I'll  tell  you  in  ten  minutes,  if  you'll  telephone  a 
question  to  headquarters,  or  to  the  proper  precinct,  and 
find  out  if  there  has  been  any  complaint  made  of  the 
loss  of  a  pocketbook  containing  a  ten-dollar  bill,  a  fifty- 
cent  piece  of  the  old-fashioned  paper  currency,  and  a 
horn-handled  shoe-buttoner.  If  there  has,  you'll  want 
your  friend  Bull  O'Kennery  for  that  piece  of  work, 
too." 

McGraw  rose  wonderingly  and  went  to  the  tele- 
phone. 

Astro  called  after  him,  "Tell  them  that  if  any  one 
does  appear  with  that  complaint,  to  arrest  him  imme- 
diately and  disarm  him." 

Valeska  waited  till  the  detective  had  gone  into  the 
hall.  "It  was  the  girl,  then.  I  see !"  she  cried.  "But 
how  in  the  world  did  she  ever  expect  to  collect  the 
money  without  being  caught  ?" 

"That's  the  cleverest  part  of  it,"  answered  tHe  Seer 
meditatively.  "You  remember  that  she  sent  word  to 
him  the  last  time  to  have  a  thousand  dollars  with  him 
night  and  day,  and  she'd  let  him  know  how  to  transfer 
the  money  ?" 

"Yes ;  but  she  hasn't  let  him  know,  so  far." 

"But  she  will  to-night.  You  forget  that  to-morrow 
is  the  twelfth,  the  last  day." 

Valeska,  extremely  puzzled  even  yet  as  to  how  a 


62         THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

lone  girl  was  to  accomplish  her  design,  sat  studying 
the  matter  over.  Before  she  could  reply,  however, 
McGraw  came  back  with  an  astonished  look  on  his 
face. 

"The  girl  called  at  the  Mulberry  Street  Station  yes- 
terday and  reported  that  her  pocket  had  been  picked. 
She  described  the  money  and  the  button-hook  all  right ; 
and  I  guess  if  you  say  so  it  must  be  one  of  Bull's  jobs. 
But  it's  too  late  to  catch  her,  I'm  afraid." 

"What  did  she  look  like?"  asked  Astro. 

"Why,  that's  funny.  This  Gallino  happened  to  be 
there,  talking  to  the  sergeant  about  his  place  bein* 
blown  up,  and  he  recognized  her  as  a  girl  that  used  to 
work  in  the  corner  drug  store  near  him.  She  spoke  to 
him  a  few  minutes,  and  then  left ;  and  Gallino  told  the 
sergeant  about  it." 

Astro  clapped  his  hands.  "Selah!"  he  exclaimed. 
"The  ether  waves  have  met  at  last !  Wait  five  minutes. 
I  must  consult  my  crystals." 

The  two  watched  him  carefully. 

Finally  he  looked  up.  "We  must  hurry!"  he  ex- 
claimed sharply.  "To-night  a  man  will  come  to  see 
Gallino,  and  as  soon  as  he's  alone  will  demand  the 
thousand  dollars." 

"A  man?"  queried  Valeska.  "I  thought  it  was  the 
girl." 

"The  girl!"  said  McGraw  in  bewilderment.  "Well, 
never  mind.  Whoever  it  is,  we'll  get  him — or  her.  The 
house  is  watched." 

"Watched!"  sneered  the  Master  of  Mysteries. 
"From  the  outside,  I  suppose  ?" 

"Certainly,"  answered  McGraw  hotly. 


THE    MACDOUGAL   STREET   AFFAIR      63 

"Fools !"  answered  Astro.  "Anybody  can  enter.  You 
can't  keep  innocent  people  out  of  the  house.  This  man 
may  go  in,  present  a  pistol  at  Gallino's  head,  get  the 
money,  and  walk  out.  Who's  to  suspect  a  casual  vis- 
itor?" He  paused  a  moment  to  don  his  street  coat. 
"Gallino  may  even  be  chloroformed.  We've  got  to  get 
there  at  once.  Hurry !" 

As  they  hastened  along  to  the  cab-stand,  McGraw 
grunted  in  ill  temper,  "But  who's  the  man  that's  after 
it,  I'd  like  to  know?" 

He  received  no  answer ;  nor  was  a  word  spoken  all 
the  time  that  they  were  being  driven  to  Macdougal  and 
Fourth  Streets.  When  they  had  alighted  there,  paid 
their  fare,  and  looked  down  the  dark  sidewalk,  no 
one  could  be  observed.  Number  950  showed  no  sign  of 
life.  They  started  to  walk  briskly  toward  Gallino's, 
when  suddenly  a  person  emerged  from  the  Italian's 
doorway  and  hastened  down  the  steps. 

Instantly  Astro  drew  his  revolver  and  shouted!  to 
McGraw,  "That's  the  one !  Get  him !" 

At  the  exclamation,  the  figure  turned  on  the  bottom 
step,  shrank  back  in  surprise,  and  becoming  entangled 
in  the  long  coat,  fell  across  the  balustrade  to  the  stone 
sidewalk.  Instantly,  with  a  frightful  roar,  a  terrific  ex- 
plosion rent  the  air.  Astro  and  his  companions  stag- 
gered back,  and  above  the  crash  of  falling  debris  the 
Master  of  Mysteries  could  be  heard  shouting : 

"That's  what  was  meant  for  Gallino  if  he  hadn't 
paid  to-night!" 

Then  the  three  rushed  anxiously  forward  to  where 
the  limp  figure  lay  in  a  distorted  knot  on  the  flagging. 
The  clothing  had  been  torn  to  shreds,  and  a  pool  of 


64          THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

blood  encircled  the  prostrate  form.  The  body  lay  face 
downward;  so  that  the  detective  had  to  turn  it  over. 
He  struck  a  match  and  cried  in  bewilderment : 

"Why,  it's  a  girl  in  man's  clothes !" 

Astro  turned  slowly  away.  "There  will  be  no  more 
bombs  exploded  in  Macdougal  Street  for  a  while,"  he 
said.  "You'd  better  telephone  to  the  hospital." 


THE  FANSHAWE  GHOST 

A5  it  was  nearly  time  for  his  first  client  of  the  day 
to  arrive,  Astro  the  Palmist  ended  the  little  les- 
son in  optical  anatomy  he  had  been  giving  to  Valeska. 
He  closed  the  transparent  doors  of  the  huge  model 
of  the  human  eye  about  which  he  had  been  talking, 
and  replaced  it  on  a  shelf  in  his  laboratory,  where  it 
remained,  a  large  livid  ball  of  glass  and  porcelain, 
veined  with  red. 

"It's  simply  wonderful !"  Valeska  said,  staring  at  it 
hard. 

Astro  laughed,  and  passed  into  the  great  studio  for 
his  morning  consultations.  "And  yet,"  he  remarked, 
"Helmholtz  says,  'Nature  seems  to  have  packed  this 
organ  with  mistakes/  I'll  explain  that  sometime. 
Most  people  do  think  that  the  body  of  man  is  the  con- 
summation of  the  Maker's  skill  and  wisdom.  In  point 
of  fact,  it  is  far  from  being  perfect. 

"Think  of  the  ants  and  bees,"  he  went  on  thought- 
fully. "Think  of  their  strength  and  adaptability !  By 
a  mere  change  of  diet  a  neuter  can  become  a  perfect 
female." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  men's  bodies  are  not  so 
good  as  some  of  the  animals'  bodies  ?"  Valeska  asked. 

"I  mean  to  say  that  the  human  machine  is  imperfect. 
It  contains  much  that  is  unnecessary,  much  that  is  not 
well  adapted  to  the  struggle  for  existence." 

Astro,  now  assuming  his  red  silken  robe  and  turban, 

65 


66         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

in  preparation  for  his  astral  readings,  seated  himself 
cross-legged  on  the  divan,  and  took  up  the  stem  of  his 
narghile. 

"Wiedersheim,"  he  continued,  "has  counted  one 
hundred  and  seven  so-called  Vestigial  organs';  the 
remains,  that  is,  of  similar  but  more  developed  organs 
that  fulfilled  a  useful  function  in  our  simian  ancestors. 
Some  of  them  are  still  able  to  perform  their  physiolog- 
ical functions  in  a  more  or  less  incomplete  manner; 
some  survive  merely  as  ancestral  relics ;  and  some  are 
actually  harmful  to  the  body.  Take,  for  instance, 
superfluous  hairs;  they  are  no  longer  capable  of  pro- 
tecting the  body  from  cold  and  often  do  serious  harm. 
Wisdom-teeth  are  unnecessary  to  man;  their  powers 
of  mastication  are  feeble,  and  they  often  cause  tumors 
and  diffused  suppuration  and  dental  caries.  We  all 
know  how  unnecessary  and  how  dangerous  to  health 
the  vermiform  appendix  is. 

"Then  there  are  other  organs  whose  powers  are 
almost  completely  lost.  The  little  tail  disappears  from 
the  embryo  before  birth ;  but  there  remain  the  useless 
muscles  of  the  ear,  the  unnecessary  thirteenth  pair  of 
ribs,  the  weak  and  imperfect  eleventh  and  twelfth 
pairs  of  ribs,  which  serve  no  useful  purpose,  the 
muscles  of  the  toes,  and  so  on.  Why,  the  colon,  or 
large  intestine,  the  seat  of  most  diseases  of  the  ali- 
mentary tract  and  the  nursery  of  arterial  sclerosis,  has 
been  pronounced  practically  useless  by  MetchnikofT, 
and  in  London  hospitals  the  entire  colon  is  often  re- 
moved." 

Valeska  stared.  "But  what  are  they  all  there  for  ?" 
she  inquired. 

"I  suppose  their  chief  use  is  to  shame  our  vanity. 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  67 

They  are  undoubted  proof  of  our  animal  origin,  our 
descent  from  the  anthropoid  apes." 

Valeska  frowned.  "I  never  like  to  be  reminded  of 
that." 

"Well,  then,  of  our  descent  from  birds,  or  reptiles. 
You  have  beautiful  eyes,  my  dear ;  but  you  can't  con- 
ceal that  little  part  near  the  nose  which  is  called  the 
'semilunar  fold'.  That  is  but  the  remains  of  the  third 
eyelid  you  possessed  as  a  bird, — the  transparent  mem- 
brane that  eagles  draw  over  the  cornea." 

The  bell  rang  outside.  Astro  the  Philosopher  be- 
came, on  the  instant,  Astro  the  Seer,  and  dropped  into 
his  professional  poise, — calm,  inert,  picturesque,  ori- 
ental. Valeska  retired  to  another  room  and  began  her 
work  of  looking  carefully  over  the  papers  for  news 
of  anything  that  might  be  of  use  to  the  Seer  in  his 
conferences.  It  was  her  duty  to  keep  in  touch  with 
the  doings  of  the  day. ' 

For  some  time  she  read  without  interest,  making 
notes  occasionally,  and  from  time  to  time  consulting 
her  card  catalogue  to  look  up  the  condensed  biog- 
raphies of  persons  prominent,,  in  society,  politics,  or 
finance,  adding  to  the  data  there  collected.  She  cut 
clippings,  too,  and  pasted  them  in  a  blank  book  for 
Astro  to  look  over  at  his  leisure.  In  the  last  of  the 
morning  papers,  her  eyes  fell  on  the  following  para- 
graph, and  she  read  it  with  attention: 

No  small  amount  of  gossip  has  been  occasioned 
during  the  last  week  or  so  in  the  little  village  of 
Vandyke,  by  the  rumors  of  supernatural  visitations 
at  the  well-known  Fanshawe  farm,  now  the  resi- 
dence of  Miss  Mildred  Fanshawe,  the  last  living 
representative  of  a  prominent  old  family  in  the 


68         THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

county.  While  all  the  servants  at  the  farm  deny 
the  sensational  reports,  and  Miss  Fanshawe  abso- 
lutely refuses  to  be  interviewed,  the  stories  afloat 
make  the  place  famous  in  the  vicinity.  According 
to  what  can  be  learned,  at  least  three  of  the  serv- 
ants at  the  farm  have  seen  the  "Fanshawe  ghost," 
purported  to  be  the  spirit  of  Sally  Towers,  who 
was  a  well-known  belle  of  New  York  in  the  1830's. 
Sally  appears,  so  it  is  said,  in  the  walled  garden 
side  of  the  old  house,  usually  with  a  baby  in  her 
arms.  Occasionally  she  is  seen  on  the  roof  of  the 
dwelling.  The  Society  for  Psychical  Research  is 
said  to  be  interested,  and  has  asked  the  privilege 
of  investigating  the  apparition;  but  Miss  Fan- 
shawe has  persistently  refused  them  admittance  to 
the  premises,  which  are  now  well  guarded  from 
intrusion. 

Of  Miss  Fanshawe,  Valeska  could  find  no  informa- 
tion in  her  catalogue.  But  as  soon  as  Astro  was  free 
she  gave  him  the  clipping,  and  was  not  disappointed  in 
his  interest. 

"It's  a  case  I'd  like  to  handle,"  he  said,  when  he  had 
read  the  story.  "If  Miss  Fanshawe  does  not  apply  to 
me  for  a  solution  of  the  mystery,  I  shall  certainly  vol- 
unteer my  services.  Perhaps  you  had  better  send  her 
a  note,  anyway." 

This  Valeska  did  forthwith,  with  the  result  that 
Miss  Fanshawe  appeared  a  few  days  later  at  the  stu- 
dio. She  confessed  herself  worried  about  the  stories 
that  had  been  circulated,  because  of  the  unpleasant 
notoriety  she  had  gained,  and  the  fact  that  they  might 
depreciate  the  value  of  the  property,  which  she  wished 
to  sell  as  soon  as  possible.  The  rumors  were,  she 
confessed,  based  on  tales  which  some  of  her  servants 
had  been  indiscreet  enough  to  relate.  There  seemed  to 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  69 

be  something  at  the  bottom  of  the  affair,  and  sEe  would 
be  much  relieved  to  have  the  mystery  cleared  up. 

Miss  Miildred  Fanshawe  was  an  aristocratic  but 
anemic-looking  woman  of  perhaps  thirty  years.  She 
was  a  brunette,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes,  with  a  lean 
narrow  face,  full  of  nervous  energy.  Her  hands  were 
long  and  slim ;  her  upper  lip  was  nearly  covered  with 
fine  hair,  almost  a  mustache,  which  gave  her  a  dis- 
tinctly Italian  aspect.  She  talked  freely  with  Astro 
and  Valeska,  using  gestures  like  a  foreigner. 

When  she  had  gone,  Astro  turned  to  his  assistant. 
"Well,"  he  said,  "I'm  curious  to  know  just  what  you 
noticed  about  that  woman." 

"There  is  something  strange  about  her — I  hardly 
know  what  it  is,"  said  Valeska.  "I  noticed,  though, 
for  one  thing,  that  she  wiggled  her  ears.  I  knew  a 
boy  once  who  could  do  that.  I've  often  tried  to;  but 
I  can't.  Then,  her  mustache  was  a  great  blemish, 
wasn't  it?  It's  a  pity  for  a  woman  to  have  to  suffer 
that.  Then,  her  eyes  were  queer.  What  was  the  mat- 
ter with  them?" 

Astro  smiled.  "And  I  have  been  lecturing  you  upon 
the  eye  for  a  fortnight!  It  was  the  'semilunar  fold' 
I  spoke  to  you  about  a  while  ago.  It  was  extraordi- 
narily large." 

"So  it  was,  now  I  recall  it.  That  was  funny  about 
her  being  able  to  pick  up  a  fork  with  her  toes,  like 
Stevenson  at  Vailima,  wasn't  it?  I  always  wanted 
to  live  in  a  country  where  I  could  go  barefooted.  We 
don't  half  use  our  feet,  do  we  ?" 

"Well — and  the  ghost?  Have  you  no  theory?" 
Astro  asked. 

"Already?     Of  course  not!    How  can  we  tell  any- 


70         THE   MASTER  OF  MYSTERIES 

thing  till  we  investigate  the  premises  and  see  the  ap- 
parition?" 

"Oh,  we'll  go  down,  of  course;  but  it's  scarcely 
necessary,  I  consider." 

Valeska's  hands  fell  into  her  lap  with  a  hopeless 
gesture.  "Oh,  dear !"  she  exclaimed.  "I'll  never  learn 
anything!  How  in  the  world  could  you  learn  the 
secret  of  the  ghost  story,  just  by  talking  to  her?" 

"And  watching  her?"  he  hinted.  "But  take  her 
talk,  even.  What  did  she  say  that  might  be  signifi- 
cant?" 

"Do  you  mean  about  that  operation  she  had  for  ap- 
pendicitis?" Valeska  considered  it  thoughtfully. 
"Let's  see.  She  mentioned  the  fact  that  she  had  her 
vermiform  appendix  removed,  and  it  proved  to  be 
abnormally  large.  But  that  doesn't  prove  anything  to 
me." 

"Think  it  over.  See  if  you  can't  put  it  with  what 
I  have  told  you,  and,  more  important  still,  read  Metch- 
nikoff!  I  recommend  to  you  his  Prolongation  of 
Life;  but  I  won't  tell  you  what  chapter  especially. 
There  you'll  find  the  missing  link  in  the  argument. 
You  have  already  half  of  my  theory,  in  the  doctrine  of 
'vestigial  organs',  which  you  can  apply  to  Miss  Fan- 
shawe's  case.  The  other  half  I  prefer  you  to  work  out 
for  yourself.  It's  the  simplest  kind  of  deduction,  and 
needs  only  corroboration  at  Fanshawe  Farm.  Let's 
see;  she  asked  us  to  come  down  next  Friday.  That 
gives  you  three  days  in  which  to  think  it  over." 

He  rose  and  yawned.  "I  wish  you'd  buy  me  some 
blue  paint  and  a  brush,"  he  added.  "Now  I  must  put 
in  a  little  time  on  that  new  somnoform  experiment. 
I  think  I'm  getting  at  it." 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  71 

But  Valeska  had  no  time  to  read  Metchnikoff  that 
week.  Astro's  absences  from  the  studio  were  long 
and  often,  and  Valeska,  who  had  been  preparing 
herself  in  palmistry,  gave  readings  to  all  those  clients 
who  did  not  insist  on  a  personal  interview  with  the 
Master  of  Mysteries.  It  need  scarcely  be  said  that 
most  such  clients  were  men.  Every  moment  of  her 
time  was  occupied  until  Friday  afternoon. 

On  that  day,  at  four  o'clock,  she  met  Astro  at  the 
Grand  Central  Station,  and  together  they  took  the 
train  for  Vandyke  village  to  keep  their  appointment 
with  Miss  Fanshawe. 

"How  little  I  know  of  you,  Valeska,"  Astro  said, 
on  the  journey  down.  "Do  you  realize  that  it  is 
almost  nothing?  You  applied  in  answer  to  my  ad- 
vertisement for  an  assistant,  and  you  know  that  it  is 
not  my  habit  to  ask  personal  questions  unless  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary.  But,  to  me,  you  are  as  mysterious 
as  this  Fanshawe.  ghost  we  are  hunting  down.  I  have 
always  had  a  queer  feeling  about  you, — that  I  didn't 
want  to  know  too  much  about  your  history;  that  it 
was  a  prettier  situation  to  be  ignorant  of  everything 
except  this  very  happy  present  when  we  are  working 
together." 

"Oh,  let's  be  sure  of  that,  and  enjoy  it!"  she 
breathed,  turning  her  eyes  away.  "I  am  perfectly 
happy !  I  only  hope  that  we  both  shall  remain  so !" 

If  Astro  had  intended  by  his  remarks  to  give  her 
an  opening  for  a  confession,  she  did  not  accept  it, 
and  he  did  not  insist.  Their  talk  changed  to  the 
business  that  occupied  their  immediate  attention. 

Astro  carefully  reread  the  newspaper  clipping. 

"The  first  thing  is,  of  course,  to  get  the  accounts 


72         THE   MASTER  OF  MYSTERIES 

of  the  servants,  and  then  to  see  the  ghost  for  ourselves. 
Finally,  we  must  lay  the  specter  forever." 

"I  have  thought  that  the  phantom  might  have  been 
impersonated  by  one  of  the  servants,"  Valeska  sug- 
gested. 

"With  that  hypothesis  we  should  seek  a  motive,"  he 
replied. 

"I  admit  that's  what  has  baffled  me." 

"Well,  we  must  follow  every  clue,  that's  all." 

Miss  Fanshawe's  man  met  them  at  the  station  with 
an  open  carriage,  and  Astro,  seating  himself  beside 
the  driver,  immediately  began  to  draw  him  out  on  the 
subject  of  the  ghost.  The  man  was  Irish,  and  willing 
to  talk.  He  himself,  however,  had  not  seen  the  spirit, 
though  he  believed  implicitly  in  its  existence.  John, 
the  stableman,  had  seen  it,  however,  and  Genevieve, 
Miss  Fanshawe's  maid.  The  third  witness,  an  old 
woman  who  had  been  cook,  had  left  the  place,  refus- 
ing to  remain  in  a  haunted  house. 

Miss  Fanshawe  greeted  them  hospitably  and  had 
them  shown  to  their  rooms  by  Genevieve.  Before 
dressing  for  dinner  Astro  and  Valeska  had  the  story 
from  her.  She  took  them  herself  into  the  garden  and 
pointed  out  the  scene  of  the  visitation. 

A  high  brick  wall  screened  the  place  from  the  street 
and  enclosed  it  on  three  sides.  The  garden  was  laid 
out  formally,  with  brick  walks  along  the  two  axes  of 
the  rectangular  space,  and  a  circular  pool  with  a  foun- 
tain in  the  middle.  The  fourth  side  was  shut  off  by 
the  brick  wall  of  the  house  itself,  which  there  rose  two 
stories  in  height.  Along  the  south  wall  was  planted 
a  thicket  of  high  bushes,  interspersed  with  trees.  This 
wall  ran  into  the  side  of  the  house  just  below  Miss 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  73 

Fanshawe's  own  chamber,  whose  window  showed 
some  nine  feet  above.  The  maid's  room  was  next. 
The  northern  wall  was  flusH  with  the  front  of  the 
house,  which  was  decorated  with  a  portico  two  stories 
in  height.  Above  that  was  the  sloping  roof. 

"I've  seen  it  walking  up  and  down  many  a  time, 
from  my  window  over  there,"  said  Genevieve.  "It 
always  disappears  in  the  bushes  over  there,"  and  she 
pointed  to  the  southern  wall.  "Once  I  saw  it  on  the 
very  top  of  the  roof,  waving  its  arms.  Yes,  it  almost 
always  carries  a  baby,  and  it's  always  in  white,  shroud- 
like.  It  always  scares  me  stiff ;  but  I  won't  leave  Miss 
Fanshawe  for  it  nor  anything  like  it." 

"It's  a  queer  thing  that  you  and  John  are  the  only 
ones  here  who  have  ever  seen  it,"  said  Valeska,  look- 
ing at  her  fixedly. 

"Oh,  the  cook  has  seen  it,  many's  the  time,"  said 
Genevieve. 

"But  the  cook  left." 

"Yes,  and  good  reason  why,  too!  It  came  at  Her 
with  a  run  once,  and  like  to  scratch  her  eyes  out." 

"It's  queer  that  Miss  Fanshawe  has  never  seen  it." 

"Ah,  and  I  hope  she  never  will,  the  poor  dear !  It'll 
be  for  no  good  if  she  does.  It  comes  to  warn  her, 
I'm  thinking." 

John  the  stableman's  tale  was  almost  the  same.  He, 
too,  had  seen  the  ghost  on  the  roof  of  the  house,  and 
running  swiftly  along  the  garden  walk,  and  often  with 
the  baby.  In  the  year  he  had  been  employed  at  Fan- 
shawe Farm  he  had  seen  it,  he  thought,  at  least  a 
dozen  times.  He  appeared  to  share  Genevieve's  super- 
stitious terrors  and  had  never  dared  to  pursue  the 
specter. 


74         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

All  this,  of  course,  Miss  Fanshawe  had  heard  be- 
fore, and  with  Astro  and  Valeska  she  discussed  the 
probability  of  her  servants  possibly  having  conspired 
to  give  the  house  a  bad  name.  But  no  motive  for  that 
was  apparent,  and  Genevieve's  devotion  seemed  sin- 
cere. The  talk  had  already  begun  to  wear  on  her. 
She  showed  many  signs  of  nervousness,  becoming  at 
times  almost  hysterical.  Seeing  this,  Astro  changed 
the  subject,  and  nothing  more  was  said  of  his  purpose 
there. 

That  night  he  took  his  place  with  Valeska  at  the  end 
of  the  garden,  away  from  the  house,  to  watch.  He 
had  come  prepared  to  spend  several  days;  for  the 
chances  were  against  their  seeing  anything  the  first 
time,  though  the  appearances  had,  according  to  John, 
become  much  more  frequent  of  late.  So,  bundled  in 
wraps,  the  two  took  their  seats  on  a  bench  at  the  end 
of  the  path.  From  here,  most  of  the  house  windows 
were  screened  from  them;  but  a  clear  vista  up  the 
center  of  the  garden  was  illuminated  by  a  moon  be- 
yond its  first  quarter.  Miss  Fanshawe,  pleading  indis- 
position, had  retired  to  her  room  early. 
j  Beyond  the  seat  there  was  a  small  door  in  the  wall, 
opening  on  a  path  leading  to  the  stable.  Directly  in 
front  of  where  they  sat  was  an  old-fashioned  sun-dial. 
It  was  altogether  a  romantic  spot,  one  well  fitted  for  a 
tryst,  natural  or  supernatural.  Perhaps  Valeska 
thought  it  too  romantic,  for  after  sitting  with  Astro 
for  a  while  she  rose  and  paced  impatiently  up  and 
down.  He  did  not  try  to  keep  her  with  him.  Her 
nearness  seemed  dangerous  to  his  concentration  of 
mind,  to  his  watchfulness. 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  75 

At  ten  o'clock  a  sound  behind  him  attracted  his  at- 
tention. Valeska  was  some  distance  away,  and  he  did 
not  call  her,  but  stole  to  the  small  door  in  the  wall 
and  looked  out.  What  he  saw  made  him  smile.  He 
returned  and,  with  a  low  whistle,  called  his  assistant. 

"We  might  learn  some  things  from  Genevieve  and 
John,"  he  said  a  little  sadly,  "even  if  we  don't  learn 
much  about  the  ghost  from  them." 

"Have  you  seen  them  ?"  she  exclaimed. 

"They  were  bidding  each  other  good  night  at  the 
stable  door." 

"Then,"  said  Valeska,  "it's  my  opinion  that  we'll 
see  the  ghost  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Let's  sit 
down  now  and  watch." 

They  took  their  places  on  the  bench  again,  and  her 
hand  stole  into  his.  Was  it  the  suggestion  she  had 
received  from  the  servants'  love-making,  or  did  she  be- 
gin to  fear  the  specter  ?  "With  all  his  cleverness,  Astro 
could  not  decide. 

But  suddenly  she  sprang  up,  and  now  there  was  no 
doubt  of  her  alarm. 

"There  it  is!"  she  exclaimed  in  a  harsH  whisper, 
pointing  toward  the  shrubbery  at  the  south  wall. 

There  it  was  at  last,  indeed, — a  seemingly  sheeted 
form,  bearing  something  that  looked  like  a  little  child 
in  its  arms,  stealing  down  the  path!  It  approached 
them  noiselessly.  In  the  shadow  of  the  trees  it  showed 
too  indistinct  for  identification  at  that  distance.  Astro 
rose  abruptly  and  took  a  step  toward  the  house,  when 
immediately  the  thing  sped  rapidly  away.  Astro  broke 
into  a  run;  but  when  he  came  to  the  house  nothing 
was  to  be  seen. 

He  went  back  to  reassure  Valeska,  who  stood,  star- 


76         THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

ing,  trembling  with  excitement,  but  without  fear. 
Hardly  had  he  reached  her,  however,  when  her  voice 
rang  out  again. 

"There!    On  the  roof!"  she  cried. 

Astro  looked  and  beheld  the  figure  gliding  swiftly 
along  the  top  of  the  building.  The  vision  lasted  only 
a  moment,  then  disappeared. 

He  spoke  sharply.  "Valeska,  run  up  to  Miss  Fan- 
shawe's room  and  awaken  her!  Tell  her  I  want  her 
to  see  this !" 

Valeska  ran  up  the  brick  walk,  passed  through  a 
door  in  the  middle  of  the  south  wall,  and  entered  the 
house.  The  halls  had  been  left  lighted,  and  she  found 
her  way  easily  to  Miss  Fanshawe's  room.  Here  she 
knocked  on  the  door,  at  first  softly,  then  with  increas- 
ing vehemence.  Trying  the  door,  she  found  it  locked. 
No  one  answered. 

She  flew  down-stairs  again,  and  was  about  to  go  for 
Astro,  when  a  sound  attracted  her  attention.  Down 
the  hall,  toward  the  back  stairs,  she  saw  something  or 
some  one  pass  and  disappear.  Her  thoughts  flew  to 
Genevieve,  and,  with  a  new  desire  to  awaken  Miss 
Fanshawe,  she  went  up-stairs  again  and  knocked. 

This  time  there  was  a  noise  inside  the  chamber, — a 
rattle,  a  chair  being  moved, — and  in  a  few  moments 
the  door  was  partly  opened  and  Miss  Fanshawe  looked 
out.  At  the  same  moment  Genevieve  appeared  in  the 
upper  hall. 

For  a  moment  Valeska  could  not  decide  what  to  say. 
If,  as  she  suspected,  Genevieve  had  been,  in  some 
strange  way,  impersonating  the  phantom,  she  dared 
not  tell  of  it  before  her.  She  slipped  inside  Miss 
Fanshawe's  room,  which  was  not  lighted. 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  77 

"We  have  seen  the  ghost,  and  Astro  wished  you  to 
come  out ;  but  it  is  undoubtedly  too  late  now.  I  wish 
your  door  had  been  unlocked,  so  I  might  have 
awakened  you  without  making  so  much  noise." 

Miss  Fanshawe  wrung  her  hands.  Her  long  black 
hair  streamed  over  her  white  night-dress ;  the  costume 
and  her  aspect  of  extreme  disarray  made  her  figure 
almost  grotesque. 

"It's  terrible,  terrible!"  she  moaned.  "I  don't  see 
why  I  should  be  tortured  so.  I  don't  want  to  see  it! 
I  couldn't  bear  it!'3  She  broke  into  a  violent  fit  of 
sobbing. 

Genevieve  knocked  at  the  door  and  entered.  "I'll 
attend  to  her,  miss/'  she  said  to  Valeska.  "I'm  used  to 
her  when  she  has  the  hysterics,  and  I  can  calm  her 
down  if  you'll  only  leave  us." 

There  seemed  nothing  better  to  do,  and  Valeska 
went  down-stairs  and  passed  into  the  garden  again. 
Astro  strode  up  to  her,  a  lighted  cigar  in  his  mouth. 

"Well?" 

Valeska  narrated  what  had  happened. 

"We  mustn't  be  caught  that  way  again.  I'll  ask  her 
to  leave  the  door  unlocked  to-morrow  night.  Well, 
there's  nothing  further  to  do  to-night.  I  propose  that 
we  turn  in." 

"But  have  you  found  out  who  or  what  it  is  ?"  Vales- 
ka asked,  still  trembling  with  the  excitement. 

Astro  smiled.  "I'll  have  a  trap  for  the  ghost  to- 
morrow,  and  if  she  appears  you'll  see.  It's  only  a 
question  of  how  to  do  it  delicately  and  safely.  But 
it's  most  amusing.  I  think  I  was  never  so  enter- 
tained." 

"Why,  did  you  see  it  after  I  left?"  she  asked. 


78         .THE  MASTER  OF  MYSTERIES 

"I  should  say  I  did!    It  was  as  good  as  a  circus. 
But  you  must  go  to  bed.    Good  night." 


As  they  went  out  into  the  garden  the  next  night, 
Astro  showed  Valeska  a  nickeled  brass  cylinder  he  had 
concealed  in  his  inside  pocket. 

"Here's  what  an  automobilist  calls  an  oil  gun,"  he 
explained.  "It  works  like  a  large  syringe,  and  is 
loaded  with  blue  paint.  I  might  also  mention  that  the 
lightning-rod  running  up  and  down  the  house  wall 
side  of  those  windows  is  already  painted  bright  blue. 
If  I  don't  succeed  in  shooting  our  extremely  lively 
little  friend  the  spook  with  this  gun,  I  expect  the  light- 
ning-rod to  streak  her  up  with  blue  stripes  sufficient 
for  identification." 

Valeska  gazed  at  the  moonlit  house  in  wonder. 
"The  lightning-rod !"  she  exclaimed.  "It  isn't  possible 
for  any  one  to  climb  up  there !  Do  you  mean  to  say — " 

"Wait,  and  you'll  see  some  of  the  prettiest  ground 
and  lofty  tumbling  outside  of  vaudeville,"  was  his 
reply. 

"But  it  runs  up  beside  Genevieve's  window !  It  isn't 
possible  for  that  girl  to  climb  down  from  there  into 
the  garden." 

"It  also  runs  beside  Miss  Fanshawe's  window.  It 
may  be  possible  for  her.  I  assure  you,  she's  an  ath- 
lete." 

"But  how  could  any  human  being  get  on  the  roof 
so  quickly?" 

"If  you'll  go  round  there,  you'll  see.  Once  you 
climb  the  north  wall,  you  can  almost  reach  the  first 
balcony.  Up  the  column  to  the  second  is  easy  enough. 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  79 

On  the  other  side  there's  a  stout  ivy  vine  that  makes 
a  practical  ladder  to  the  very  top." 

"But  why,  why,  why?"  Valeska  almost  wailed  the 
words. 

"Ah,  you  haven't  read  Metchnikoff." 

Then,  suddenly  he  cried,  "Look !"  and  seized  her  arm. 

They  were  standing  beside  the  central  pool  now,  and 
he  pointed  to  Miss  Fanshawe's  window,  clearly  visible 
from  this  part  of  the  garden.  The  moonlight  struck 
the  glass  as  the  sash  was  raised.  A  form  looked  out, 
climbed  rapidly  across  the  sill,  lowered  itself  till  it 
hung  by  the  hands,  and  then  dropped  lightly  to  the 
top  of  the  garden  wall.  Quick  as  had  been  its  appear- 
ance and  disappearance,  something  was  visible,  tucked 
under  one  arm.  While  they  stood  fascinated,  a  white 
object  appeared  on  the  grass  of  the  garden  plot,  the 
figure  of  a  woman  with  hair  streaming  about  her 
shoulders,  apparently  carrying  a  child.  She  came  a 
few  steps  toward  them,  then  retreated  swiftly  and 
made  for  the  bushes  by  the  north  wall.  In  another  in- 
stant she  appeared  atop  the  wall,  and  swung  up  to  the 
first  balcony  of  the  portico,  still  bearing  her  burden. 
A  few  minutes  more,  and  she  reappeared  on  the  roof. 

"Quick,  now !"  cried  Astro.  "Run  up  to  Miss  Fan- 
shawe's room  and  go  in  and  wait  for  her  to  return. 
I'll  hide  in  the  bushes  by  the  south  wall  and  pop  her 
full  of  blue  paint.  If  I  miss,  there's  the  lightning-rod, 
her  only  way  to  enter  the  room." 

"But  what  shall  I  say— how  can  I  accuse  her  of  it?" 

Astro  stopped  suddenly  and  looked  at  her.  "Why, 
my  dear,  I  forgot.  Is  it  possible  you  haven't  guessed 
it  yet  ?  Miss  Fanshawe  is  asleep.  It's  somnambulism, 
that's  all.  But  hurry!  Make  any  excuse  if  she's 


80         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

awake ;  if  she's  not,  don't  awaken  her.  Let  her  go  to 
bed  herself." 

Valeska  flew  into  the  house  and  up-stairs.  Miss 
Fanshawe  had  kept  her  promise  and  had  left  her  door 
unlocked.  Valeska  entered. 

The  window  was  still  up.  There  was  no  one  in 
the  bed.  One  pillow  was  missing.  On  the  instant 
Valeska  understood  the  secret  of  the  baby  that  the 
specter  was  supposed  to  carry. 

She  slipped  into  the  corner  and  waited.  In  a  few 
moments  a  form  appeared  in  the  window,  blocking  out 
the  light.  A  wriggle  and  a  twist,  and  it  sprang  lightly 
in,  and  Miss  Fanshawe  stood  revealed  in  the  moon- 
light, in  her  night-dress,  now  streaked  and  spattered 
with  blue  stains.  In  her  arms  she  still  held  the  pillow, 
as  a  mother  holds  her  babe.  Her  eyes  stared  straight 
before  her  without  power  of  sight. 

Valeska,  more  moved  by  this  uncanny  vision  than  if 
it  had  been  a  supernatural  visitation,  stole  silently 
away  and  rejoined  the  Master. 


"I  don't  see  how  it  was  possible,  even  though  I  saw 
it  with  my  own  eyes!"  she  said,  as  they  sat  down  on 
the  bench  to  talk  it  over  before  sleeping.  "A  frail 
woman  like  that  to  climb  to  the  second  story  up  a 
rod,  to  the  roof  even !  I've  heard  stories  of  somnam- 
bulists before,  but  this  is  miraculous!" 

"If  you  had  read  Metchnikoff,"  said  Astro,  smoking 
calmly,  "you  would  have  found  that  such  a  case  as  this 
is  not  rare;  and  you  would  have  discovered  the  ex- 
planation. The  fact  is  that  in  somnambulism  and  in 
hysteria  persons  often  revert  atavistically  to  the  char- 


The  white   form  sped  down  the  garden  wall. 


THE   FANSHAWE   GHOST  81 

acteristics  of  their  simian  ancestors.  They  are  often 
able  to  jump  and  run  and  climb  and  even  chatter  like 
apes  while  in  this  abnormal  condition.  Miss  Fan- 
shawe, as  we  had  already  observed,  possesses  many 
still  active  functions  of  her  monkey  ancestry,  which  in 
most  men  and  women  have  become  atrophied  with  dis- 
use. Her  appendix  was  large,  like  those  of  the  apes. 
She  bore  traces  of  this  also  in  the  hair  on  her  lip,  in 
her  ability  to  use  her  ears,  in  the  development  of  the 
muscles  of  her  toes.  It  was  evident  to  me,  at  my  first 
glance  at  her,  that  she  was,  if  not  abnormal,  at  least 
peculiar.  In  her  waking  state,  of  course,  she  is  a 
highly  refined  and  cultured  lady.  Under  the  influence 
of  hysteria,  or  in  this  strange  somnambulistic  condi- 
tion, she  merely  reverts  to  type.  You  know  that  new- 
born babies  can  hang  from  their  hands,  like  monkeys, 
but  soon  lose  that  power.  Miss  Fanshawe  loses  her 
extraordinary  agility  in  her  waking  moments,  and  re- 
gains it  while  asleep." 

"But  why  the  blue  paint?"  said  Valeska.  "If  you 
knew  the  secret  of  the  Fanshawe  ghost,  why  didn't 
you  tell  her  at  first?" 

"Would  you  have  Relieved  it  possible?"  he  asked 
smiling. 

Valeska  confessed  she  would  not. 

"Neither  would  Miss  Fanshawe.  And  b'esides,  it 
would  have  been  necessary  to  explain  the  origin  of  my 
suspicions.  No  woman  would  care  to  be  told  that  she 
resembled  an  ape,  and  I  don't  intend  to  explain  Metch- 
nikoff's  theory  to  her  or  to  point  out  her  vestigial  or- 
gans which  are  not  quite  vestigial.  No,  I'll  merely  tell 
her  she  walks  in  her  sleep,  as  is  proved  by  the  blue 
paint  on  her  night-dress,  and  advise  her  either  to  lock 


82         THE  MASTER  OF  MYSTERIES 

the  window  when  she  retires  or  to  have  a  companion 
to  watch  her.  I  don't  think  any  one  will  see  the  ghost 
again. 

"I  wonder,"  he  added  thoughtfully,  as  they  walked 
toward  the  house,  "if,  after  all,  I  hadn't  better  begin 
to  investigate  the  ghost  of  your  past,  little  girl!"  He 
took  her  hand  affectionately. 

"Well,  you  won't  find  any  vestigial  signs  in  that, 
anyway,"  she  answered,  gently  drawing  away  her 
hand.  "And,"  she  added,  "I'm  glad  I  can't  wiggle  my 
ears  or  pick  up  things  with  my  toes.  I'd  rather  be  a 
lady  even  while  asleep.  I'm  quite  satisfied  with  my 
body,  thank  you,  just  as  it  is." 


THE  DENTON  BOUDOIR 
MYSTERY 

T  TNDERNEATH  a  shaded,  swinging,  bronze  lamp 
V-J  in  his  favorite  corner  of  the  studio,  the  Master 
of  Mysteries  sat  with  half-closed  eyes,  seeming  to 
drowse  over  a  huge  vellum-bound  folio  whose  leaves 
bore  lines  of  Arabic  characters.  But,  though  his 
dreamy  eyes  appeared  heavy  and  dull,  his  index  finger 
sped  with  such  rapidity  from  line  to  line  as  to  reveal 
that  the  palmist  was  eagerly  absorbed  in  the  message 
of  those  antique  parchment  pages.  Behind  him 
loomed  the  damasks  and  embroidered  hangings  with 
which  the  room  was  adorned;  in  a  corner  hung  a 
gilded  censer  breathing  its  delicate  aromatic  perfume ; 
an  astrolabe  occupied  a  small  table  at  one  hand,  and 
near  it  lay  a  strange  assortment  of  queer  instruments 
picked  up  by  the  Seer  in  his  vagabond  travels, — the 
dread  "spider"  of  the  Inquisition,  the  Angoise  "pear", 
a  set  of  fearsome  thumbscrews,  strips  of  human  hide, 
and  other  such  horrors. 

"So,"  he  murmured  contemplatively,  "Ptolemy  was 
a  Torquemada  himself,  in  a  good  many  ways.  That's 
interesting ;  and  it  confirms  an  old  theory  of  mine.  To 
think  that  many  persons  don't  believe  in  metempsy- 
chosis— and  do  believe  in  the  signs  of  the  zodiac!" 
His  thin  lips  parted  in  a  smile. 

He  had  turned  to  his  book  again,  and  had  read  for 


84         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

a  few  minutes,  when  his  whole  attitude  changed.  He 
sat  upright;  his  eyes  gleamed  with  interest.  Voices 
were  heard  outside  in  the  office,  where  his  assistant 
was  still  working.  He  listened  intently;  then  with  a 
quick  movement  of  his  right  hand  touched  a  button, 
and  the  room  was  flooded  with  light.  It  was  the  first 
sight  of  a  new  client  that  often  told  Astro  more  than 
an  hour's  interview. 

"Wait  a  moment  till  I  announce  you !"  Valeska  was 
exclaiming.  "The  Master  can  not  be  interrupted  in 
his  work.  It  is  impossible.  I  could  not  do  it  for  the 
President  himself !" 

"I  must  see  him  immediately !  I  tell  you  I  must  see 
him !"  a  man's  voice  replied.  "By  heaven !  I'll  break 
in  by  main  force!" 

Another  moment,  and  the  black  velvet  portieres 
leading  to  the  waiting-room  were  violently  flung  aside, 
and  a  -flushed  and  excited  young  man  of  about  thirty 
years  strode  into  the  apartment.  Behind  him  the  face 
of  Valeska  Wynne  appeared  in  the  doorway,  with  an 
alarmed  expression. 

Astro  sat,  in  turban  and  silken  robe,  reading,  appar- 
ently unmoved  by  this  interruption.  When  the  young 
man  stopped  in  the  center  of  the  room,  the  Seer  slowly 
raised  his  olive-hued  face  to  the  visitor,  and  a  smolder- 
ing glance  shot  from  his  dark  eyes,  in  a  mute  question. 
The  young  man  took  a  few  steps  nearer,  and  broke  out 
again : 

"See  here!  You've  got  to  take  this  case!"  He  ex- 
claimed appealingly.  "I  am  at  my  wits'  ends.  I'll  go 
mad  if  you  don't  help  me;  no  one  else  can  solve  it. 
You're  the  only  man  in  New  York  that  can  explain 
this  mystery.  For  God's  sake,  sir,  tell  me  you'll  do 


THE   DENTON   BOUDOIR   MYSTERY      85 

it !"  He  dropped  in  exhaustion  into  an  armchair,  look- 
ing anxiously  at  the  crystal-gazer.  The  ringers  of  one 
hand  twitched  nervously,  while  his  other  fist  was 
clenched.  His  forehead  was  lined  with  vertical 
wrinkles. 

Astro,  still  unperturbed,  looked  at  him  gravely,  his 
quick  eye  darting  from  point  to  point  of  the  young 
man's  clothing.  Finally  he  said  languidly,  with  an 
almost  imperceptible  foreign  accent,  "My  dear  sir,  the 
Turks  have  a  proverb,  'He  who  is  in  a  hurry  is  already 
half  mad.'  If  you  were  in  such  haste  to  see  me,  you 
should  have  taken  a  cab  to  come  here,  instead  of  a 
street-car." 

The  young  man  pulled  himself  together,  sat  up,  and 
stared  hard  at  the  Seer.  Then  his  face  relaxed,  as  he 
said,  with  a  tone  of  great  relief,  nodding  his  head, 
"That's  wonderful!  It's  exactly  what  I  did.  Oh,  I 
know  you  can  do  it,  if  you  only  will !  The  police  are 
all  stupid, — there  isn't  a  man  with  a  brain  on  the 
whole  force,  I  believe.  You're  the  man  to  help  me !" 

Astro  made  a  graceful  gesture  with  his  long  slender 
hand.  "It  is  not  a  question  of  brains,  my  dear  sir. 
It  is  a  question  of  the  right  comprehension  of  the 
forces  of  the  occult,  of  undeveloped  senses  and  powers. 
Men  need  sign-boards  to  show  them  the  way  from  town 
to  town.  The  birds  wing  their  straight  paths  by  in- 
stinct. It  is  my  fortune  to  be  sensitive  to  vibrations 
that  most  minds  do  not  register.  Where  you  see  a 
body,  I  see  a  spirit,  a  life,  an  invisible  color.  All  these 
esoteric  laws  have  been  known  by  the  priestcraft  of 
the  occult  for  ages.  Nothing  is  hidden  from  the  Inner 
Eye." 

"I  don't  know  how  you  get  it,"  the  young  man  inter- 


86         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

rupted.  "I  believe  that  there  are  many  things  we  don't 
understand  yet,  and  that  some  men  are  developed  be- 
yond their  fellows.  I've  studied  mysticism  myself, 
and  that's  why  I  came  directly  to  you.  I  want  the 
mystery  of  my  sweetheart's  death  cleared  up,  and  the 
hellish  scoundrel  that  killed  her  executed.  Until  that 
is  accomplished,  my  life  will  stop,  or  I'll  go  insane. 
The  police  can  prove  nothing,  even  on  their  own  sus- 
pect. What  motive  there  could  have  been  for  such  a 
crime  I  can't  imagine;  it  seems  so  unnecessary,  so 
monstrous!"  He  had  worked  himself  again  into  a 
fever  of  excitement. 

Astro  rose  and  walked  over  to  his  visitor.  Placing 
his  thumbs  on  two  muscles  in  the  young  man's  neck, 
near  the  spinal  column,  he  manipulated  the  flesh  for 
a  few  moments.  His  client's  hysteria  gradually  sub- 
sided, and  he  became  calmer. 

"Now,"  said  Astro,  sinking  back  into  his  chair  and 
taking  up  the  amber  mouthpiece  of  his  water-pipe, 
"give  me  the  details  of  your  story  from  the  beginning. 
You  need  not  mind  my  assistant;  she  is  quite  in  my 
confidence  and  may  be  trusted  implicitly." 

Valeska  had  entered,  and  sat  at  a  table  prepared  to 
take  notes  of  the  conversation.  Astro's  eyes  turned 
indulgently  on  the  pretty  blond  head  as  it  bent  seri- 
ously over  the  writing  pad. 


The  young  man  spoke  now  as  if  he  had  the  history 
already  clearly  mapped  out  in  his  mind.  He  used  oc- 
casional impulsive  gestures,  displaying  an  ardent  and 
intense  temperament. 

"My  name  is  Edward  Masson.    For  three  months  I 


THE   DENTON  BOUDOIR.  MYSTERY      87* 

have  been  engaged  to  marry  Miss  Elizabeth  Denton,  of 
Hamphurst,  Long  Island.  That  is,  I  was,  until  three 
days  ago,  when  we  had  a  quarrel, — nothing  to  speak 
of,  really,  you  know,  but  the  match  was  temporarily 
broken  off.  It  would  have  come  out  all  right,  I'm 
sure.  I  intended  to  make  it  up  with  her.  I  was  pre- 
pared to  make  any  compromise  whatever;  for  I  was 
crazy  about  her.  She  was  my  whole  life."  He  paused 
and  put  his  hands  across  his  eyes. 

Valeska  looked  across  to  the  Master,  her  own  eyes 
already  swimming  with  tears  of  sympathy.  Astro, 
however,  showed  no  sign,  and  puffed  tranquilly  at  his 
hookah,  waiting  for  Masson  to  become  more  calm. 
In  the  anteroom  a  great  clock  broke  the  silence  with  a 
ringing  melodious  chime  and  struck  the  hour  of  six 
in  booming  notes. 

Masson  looked  up  with  a  tense  face.  "That  next 
day  she  was  murdered !"  he  said  brokenly.  "She  was 
found  dead  in  her  boudoir  on  the  second  floor  of  her 
house,  just  before  dinner-time,  at  about  dusk.  Both 
doors  were  locked ;  but  the  double  windows  were  open. 
The  police  say  she  was  strangled.  Think  of  it !  God ! 
she  was  beautiful !  How  could  any  one  have  done  it  ? 
It  seems  impossible,  even  now  that  she  is  dead.  There 
were  slight  marks  on  her  throat  that  looked  like  ringer 
prints.  I  didn't  see  them, — there  was  lace  around  her 
neck  when  I  saw  her,  in  her  casket.  Oh,  God!"  He 
rose  and  paced  up  and  down  the  room  restlessly,  his 
eyes  cast  down. 

"What  have  the  police  done  ?"  Astro  inquired  gently. 

"They've  arrested  Miss  Denton's  maid.  She  had 
a  key  to  Elizabeth's  room,  it  seems,  and  some  of  the 
servants  thought  they  heard  her  talking  in  the  room. 


88         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

I  think  that's  the  strongest  point  against  her.  But  I 
doubt  if  she  did  it.  It  was  too  brutal.  I  must  run 
down  the  real  murderer  and  have  it  proved  beyond  the 
possibility  of  a  doubt.  I  can't  rest  till  that's  done." 

He  turned  almost  savagely  to  the  quiet  figure  of  the 
palmist.  "Can't  you  do  it?  You  can  see  things  in 
crystals ;  you  know  the  secret  laws  of  nature ;  you  lead 
a  life  of  study  and  research  with  the  old  adepts.  Can't 
you  do  this  for  me?" 

Astro  smiled  subtly.  "My  dear  Mr.  Masson,"  he 
said,  "I  do  not  ordinarily  concern  myself  with  such 
affairs.  Those  who  wish  come  to  me,  and  I,  of  my 
knowledge  of  the  Laws  of  Being,  can  reveal  what  is 
hidden.  Such  agonizing  experiences  as  yours  are 
distracting  to  the  student  of  the  Higher  Way." 

"I'm  rich!"  Masson  broke  in.  "I'll  pay  you  any- 
thing you  wish!  Make  your  price — one  thousand, 
two,  anything!  Only  help  me!  My  God,  man!  you 
were  a  part  of  the  world  once.  Can't  you  remember 
what  it  means  to  love  a  beautiful  woman  and  want  to 
marry  her?" 

"I  remember — only  too  well.  It  was  partly  on  that 
account  that  I  hesitated.  But  I'll  forget  myself  and 
consent  to  assist  you." 

The  young  man  sank  into  a  chair  again,  with  grati- 
tude in  his  poise.  "You'll  want  to  go  down  to  Hamp- 
hurst?"  he  asked. 

"Certainly.  I  must  get  the  vibrations  of  the  scene 
itself  before  I  seek  the  murderer.  He  has  left  behind 
him  emanations  that  will  rapidly  evaporate.  I  shall 
go  down  to-morrow  if  you  will  accompany  me.  To- 
night I  shall  go  to  the  Tombs  and  see  Miss  Denton's 
maid.  She,  too,  must  be  studied  by  one  who  is  sensi- 


THE   DENTON    BOUDOIR   MYSTERY      89 

tive  to  aura.  My  friend  McGraw  will  be  able  to  get 
permission  for  that,  no  doubt." 

He  shot  a  glance  at  Valeska  as  he  mentioned  the  in- 
spector's name.  She  replied  with  a  fluttering  smile 
and  was  serious  again. 

Young  Masson  buttoned  up  his  overcoat,  and  with 
an  embarrassed,  hesitating  manner,  did  his  best  to  ex- 
press his  thanks.  Astro  cut  short  his  stammering 
sentences,  laid  his  own  hand  with  a  friendly  gesture 
on  Masson's  shoulder,  and  guided  him  out  of  the  room. 
At  parting  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  meet  on  the 
nine-twelve  train  for  Hamphurst. 

The  palmist  walked  back  to  the  studio,  shut  off  all 
lights  but  the  one  in  his  favorite  corner,  and  sat  down 
in  silence.  Valeska  waited  for  him  to  speak. 

"Not  bad  for  two  days'  work,"  he  said  finally,  smil- 
ing. 

"Are  you  sure  you  can  do  it  ?"  she  asked,  raising  her 
golden  brows. 

"My  dear,"  he  replied,  taking  up  his  water-pipe 
again,  "am  I  not  a  Mahatma  of  the  Fourth  Sphere, 
and  were  not  the  divine  laws  of  cosmic  life  revealed 
to  me  while  I  was  a  chela  on  the  heights  of  the  Hima- 
layas?" 

Valeska  broke  into  a  silvery  laugh.  "Do  you  know," 
she  said,  "that  patter  of  yours  is  almost  as  becoming 
as  that  turban  and  robe.  But,  to  be  serious,  have  you 
any  clue  as  yet?" 

Astro  did  not  answer  for  a  moment;  then  he  said 
meaningly,  "The  principle  by  which  muscle  reading 
can  be  accomplished  is  this :  The  person  that  is  held 
moves  in  a  minute  circle  until  he  finds  the  point  of 
least  resistance  to  his  motion.  He  moves,  then,  in  this 


90         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

line  as  long  as  his  holders  unconsciously  guide  him  in 
that  direction.  The  same  principle  is  true  of  any  prob- 
lem of  this  sort.  Let  us  wait,  until  we  are  guided  by 
something  that  seems  characteristic  of  this  special 
crime.  The  street-car  business  was  simple  enough  to 
you,  I  suppose?" 

Valeska  pouted.  "Oh,  I'm  not  altogether  a  fool. 
Why,  he  had  a  Broadway  transfer  in  his  hand  when  he 
came  in  here.  He  was  in  too  much  of  a  hurry  to  take 
a  cross-town  car  for  the  four  blocks." 

The  Seer  chuckled.  "But  now  we'd  better  go  to 
work.  I'll  see  the  maid  first.  There's  no  need  of  your 
going.  You'd  better  get  back  to  your  work  on  the 
zodiac.  Look  up  Napoleon's  notes  on  the  subject.  His 
was  the  biggest  intellect  the  stars  ever  fooled.  It  will 
teach  you  how  to  fool  lesser  ones.  But  get  a  good 
night's  rest.  There'll  be  something  more  to  search  for 
at  Hamphurst  to-morrow.  I'll  look  over  the  papers  and 
see  what  is  known  about  this  murder.  Masson  was 
too  excited  to  tell  half." 

After  reading  for  a  half-hour,  Astro  yawned,  shook 
himself,  and  changed  from  the  cynical  psychologist 
to  a  man  of  keen  brisk  manner  and  alert  glance.  His' 
green  limousine,  which  was  always  kept  waiting  at  the 
door  of  the  studio,  took  him  rapidly  down-town.  A 
half-hour  later  he  was  looking  through  the  cell  door 
at  Marie  Dubois,  the  French  maid  of  the  late  Miss 
Denton. 

She  was  eager  to  talk  and  volubly  protested  her 
innocence.  Astro  let  her  run  on  without  questions, 
until  she  had  finally  told  all  she  knew  of  the  affair, 
which  was  little  enough,  apparently.  She  had  started 
up  to  Miss  Denton's  room  at  about  half  past  six  to  get 


THE   DENTON   BOUDOIR   MYSTERY      91 

a  cashmere  shawl  which  was  to  be  sent  to  the  cleaner's. 
Half-way  up  the  side  stairs  she  had  stopped,  hearing 
voices  inside  the  boudoir.  She  did  not,  however,  rec- 
ognize Miss  Denton's  voice;  instead,  there  was  a 
higher-pitched  voice,  exclaiming  "Great  God !"  several 
times.  This  was  followed  by  laughter ;  then  came  a 
shrill  whistle.  She  heard  something  like  the  fall  of 
a  body,  then  footsteps.  All  this  so  alarmed  her  that 
she  ran  up  and  tried  the  boudoir  door.  Finding  that 
locked,  she  called  down  ,to  the  butler,  went  and  got  her 
own  key,  and  asked  him  to  investigate.  The  voice 
she  had  heard  seemed  like  an  old  woman's.  The  butler 
had  heard  it,  and  also  the  chauffeur,  who  was  in  the 
stable  across  the  yard. 

"And  how  about  the  letters  from  Mr.  Masson  to 
Miss  Denton,  which  were  found  in  your  room  ?"  Astro 
inquired. 

"Oh,  Mees  Denton,  she  give  me  zem  zat  I  send  to 
her  fiance !"  the  girl  protested.  "Zat  same  afternoon 
she  make  ze  paquet.  Mon  Dieu!  ze  police  say  I  steal 
ze  letters!  It  ees  not  so!  Nevaire  have  I  seen  a  man 
so  good  like  Monsieur  Masson  to  me.  He  ees  gentle- 
man. Why  I  steal  his  letters?"  She  began  to  weep. 

"Let  me  see  your  hand,  Marie." 

The  girl  gave  him  a  slender  trembling  palm. 
Astro  looked  at  it  for  a  few  moments ;  then  he  said, 
"Marie,  did  Mr.  Masson  ever  make  love  to  you?" 

A  sudden  wave  of  color  flooded  the  girl's  face ;  but 
she  cried  out  excitedly,  "Nevaire!  Mon  Dieu!  non, 
par  exemple !  Why  should  he  do  zat  ?  Had  he  not  ze 
beautiful  Mees  Denton?  Oh,  non,  Monsieur!" 

Astro  smiled  cryptically  and  walked  out.  The  rest 
of  the  evening  he  spent  translating  certain  obscure 


92         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Hebrew  texts  from  the  Midrash  and  comparing  them 
with  the  published  English  versions. 


On  the  train  down  to  Hamphurst,  next  day,  Masson 
was  morose  and  talked  but  little.  He  was  nervous  and 
impatient  to  get  to  the  house,  watching  sullenly  out  of 
the  window  all  the  way.  Valeska  did  her  best  to  be 
agreeable ;  but  Astro  came  out  of  his  reverie  only  once, 
to  ask : 

"Why  was  the  date  of  your  marriage  postponed, 
Mr.  Masson?" 

Masson  scowled,  then  sighed  and  shook  his  head. 

"Miss  Denton,  a  month  or  so  ago,  was  not  at  all 
well.  The  doctors  found  her  heart  to  be  weak.  They 
thought  that  the  excitement  of  a  wedding  and  its  prep- 
aration would  be  too  much  for  her,  and  feared  a  col- 
lapse." 

Astro  resumed  his  abstracted  pose.  Valeska  bent 
her  brows.  Masson  gazed  mournfully  out  of  the  win- 
dow. 

Alighting  at  Hamphurst,  they  took  a  carriage  and 
were  driven  to  the  Denton  house,  an  old-fashioned, 
two-and-a-half-story,  frame  building,  painted  yellow 
with  white  trimmings.  It  was  surrounded  with  beauti- 
ful wine-glass  elms  which  were  scattered  over  the 
grounds.  A  wide  lawn  stretched  in  front  and  on  one 
side,  with  a  gravel  driveway  to  the  residence  and  a 
stable  in  the  rear.  The  place  had  an  air  of  quiet 
peaceful  respectability.  It  seemed  to  the  last  degree 
improbable  as  the  scene  of  such  a  tragedy  as  had  been 
so  recently  enacted. 

The  officers  had  finished  their  investigations,  and 


THE   DENTON   BOUDOIR   MYSTERY      93 

the  funeral  had  taken  place  the  day  before.  An  aged 
aunt  of  Miss  Denton's  and  the  four  servants  now  occu- 
ipied  the  house.  Astro  and  his  assistant  were  intro- 
duced to  the  old  lady,  then  went  immediately  up  to  the 
boudoir  where  the  body  had  been  found.  Here,  at 
Astro's  request,  the  exact  situation  discovered  at  that 
time  was  explained  by  James,  the  man-of-all-work, 
whom  Marie  had  referred  to  as  the  butler. 

He  pointed  out  the  position  in  which  he  had  found 
the  corpse.  It  lay  face  downward;  the  hair  was 
somewhat  disarranged.  The  square,  cheerful,  blue- 
and-white  boudoir  was  now  filled  with  sunlight 
streaming  in  from  the  high  French  windows  which 
led  to  a  small  balcony  outside.  Many  of  Miss  Den- 
ton's  belongings  still  lay  about, — a  fold  of  ribbon,  a 
lace  collar,  a  handkerchief  on  the  bureau;  and  on  a 
small  table,  a  book  face  down  where  she  had  left  it, 
made  it  seem  as  if  the  owner  had  only  just  left  the 
room  on  some  trifling  errand. 

The  old  lady  silently  handed  Astro  a  photograph  of 
her  niece, — a  beautiful  woman  of  twenty-three,  with 
the  frank  and  winning  expression  of  a  young  girl. 
Astro  handed  it  to  Valeska,  who  looked  at  it  in  ad- 
miration and  regret.  The  aunt  explained  further  that 
her  niece  Elizabeth  was  in  a  low-necked,  white 
mull  dress.  She  had  come  down  for  dinner;  but, 
finding  that  she  had  forgotten  her  handkerchief,  had 
gone  back  up-stairs  to  get  it.  She  had  not  hurried,  as 
dinner  had  not  yet  been  served.  Her  aunt  did  not 
think  it  strange  that  Elizabeth  did  not  return  for  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes.  Then  she  had  heard  Marie  scream 
to  James,  and  she  herself  had  followed  him  up,  and 
had  been  there  when  he  opened  the  door. 


94         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

The  old  lady  was  too  overcome  to  go  further;  But 
James  corroborated  Masson's  previous  story.  Both 
doors  had  been  locked  and  the  keys  withdrawn.  The 
windows  were  open.  No  footprints  or  traces  of  any 
kind  had  been  found  outside  by  the  police.  James  him- 
self had  been  in  the  lower  front  hall  at  the  time,  roll- 
ing up  some  rugs,  and  had  heard  the  sound  of  voices 
up-stairs,  and  had  wondered  at  them.  One  voice,  he 
thought,  sounded  much  like  Marie's.  It  was  about 
three  minutes,  he  thought,  between  the  time  when  he 
heard  the  voice  and  the  laughter — for  he  had  heard 
that  also — to  the  moment  when  Marie  called  for  him 
to  come  up.  She  had  appeared  much  excited. 

He  was  a  simple-faced  fellow,  with  an  awkward  air 
and  a  generally  shiftless  appearance, — the  ordinary 
country  youth  who  has  had  too  little  energy  to  better 
himself  in  any  way.  Astro  scarcely  gave  him  a  glance, 
but  stood  gazing  at  the  door  in  front  of  him. 

He  made  a  sign  finally,  and  all  but  Valeska  left  the 
room.  She  shut  the  door  behind  them.  Then  she 
followed  his  eyes  about  the  walls  and  floor. 

"I  think,"  said  Astro,  thoughtfully  regarding  the 
window-frame,  "that  Masson  regrets  exceedingly  hav- 
ing tried  to  kiss  Marie  about  four  days  ago.  Poor 
chap !"  , 

Valeska's  eyes  narrowed.  "Oh!"  she  said.  "That 
was  what  broke  off  the  engagement?" 

"I'm  afraid  so." 

"But  was  Marie  in  love  with  him,  too?"  she  asked 
eagerly. 

Astro's  expression  was  more  animated  as  he  replied, 
"I  love,  thou  lovest,  he  loves ;  we  love,  you  love,  they 
love.  I  think,  my  dear,  that  in  matters  of  the  heart 


THE   DENTON   BOUDOIR   MYSTERY      95 

you  know  the  symptoms  better  than  I,  although  you 
were  not  taught  the  philosophy  of  the  Yogis  by  a 
Hindu  fakir.  What  do  you  say,  pretty  priestess?" 

"Masson  was  sincerely  in  love  with  Miss  Denton. 
He  never  cared  a  snap  for  Marie." 

"I  believe  you.  And  yet  he  kissed  her — or  tried  to. 
There  was  no  mistaking  that  blush.  It  is  a  common 
error  to  suppose  that  French  girls  are  a  whit  less  mod- 
est than  their  English  or  American  sisters.  In  point 
of  fact,  they  are  often  more  so, — more  ignorant,  more 
innocent.  Marie  was  carefully  brought  up ;  she  is 
still  a  child.  But  the  Latin  races  have  temperament; 
they  soon  learn.  Marie  is  a  passionate  little  thing, 
quick  at  loving  as  at  hating,  full  of  revenges  and  re- 
grets." 

"But  what  has  that  kiss  to  do  with  this  murder?" 

"That's  precisely  what  I'm  here  to  find  out.  Per- 
mit me  to  resume  my  meditation,  that  my  astral  vision 
may  be  released." 

Valeska  smiled,  and  kept  silent.  It  was  Astro's  way 
of  requesting  that  he  was  not  to  be  questioned  further 
until  he  himself  had  run  down  his  clue. 

It  was  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  he  spoke;  then 
to  say  in  triumph,  "Ho!  I  have  found  it!  I  have 
at  least  solved  half  the  mystery."  He  pointed  to  three 
parallel  scratches  on  the  frieze,  above  the  picture- 
molding. 

Valeska  shook  her  head,  puzzled. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  went  to  the  window, 
pointing  to  a  tiny  spot  on  the  white  frame. 

"It's  blood!"  exclaimed  Valeska. 

"It's  blood;  and  yet  Miss  Denton  was  strangled, 
and  no  blood  was  shed, — none,  at  least,  of  hers." 


96         THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Whose  blood,  then,  was  it?" 

"Kindly  get  out  of  the  window  on  the  balcony,  my 
dear." 

She  stepped  over  the  low  sill,  unconsciously  placing 
her  left  hand  on  the  frame  to  steady  herself.  Her 
fingers  touched  the  paint  about  two  inches  below  the 
bloody  smutch. 

"Well,  my  dear,  it  certainly  isn't  your  blood,  at 
least,"  said  Astro. 

"Marie's,  then?    She  is  taller  than  I." 

"She  had  no  wound  on  her  hand.  I  examined  them 
both  carefully." 

"And  there  was  none  on  James'." 

"Nor  the  aunt's.  If  you  have  looked  all  you  wish 
to,  you  might  go  down  to  the  kitchen  and  talk  to  the 
cook.  It  was  said  in  the  paper  that  she  had  a  bad 
temper,  and  had  lately  quarreled  with  Miss  Denton. 
To  be  sure,  all  good  cooks  have  bad  tempers ;  but,  as 
the  police  didn't  see  fit  to  arrest  her,  she  may  possibly 
be  the  murderer.  See  what  you  can  do.  I  shall  re- 
main here  for  a  while.  There's  much  to  be  done,  and 
I'm  in  a  hurry  to  earn  my  thousand  dollars." 

When  Valeska  had  left,  Astro  resumed  his  study 
of  the  room,  going  over  it  inch  by  inch,  looking  again 
at  the  window,  finally  turning  to  the  balcony.  The 
care  with  which  he  worked  showed  that  the  Master 
of  Mysteries  was  unusually  perplexed.  After  exam- 
ining the  floor  and  rail  of  the  balcony,  he  drew  a  bird 
glass  from  his  pocket  and  spent  a  half-hour  gazing  at 
the  elm  whose  branches  stretched  toward  the  window. 
Off  the  balcony  was  another  window,  from  the  room 
next  to  the  boudoir.  This,  too,  he  examined  carefully. 
Then  he  smiled  slightly,  put  up  the  glass,  and  re- 


THE   DENTON    BOUDOIR   MYSTERY      97 

entered  the  room.    It  was  evident  that  he  had  found 
what  he  had  sought. 

Descending  to  the  lower  hall,  he  gave  a  quick  look 
at  doors  and  windows,  then  went  out  into  the  yard  in 
the  rear  to  the  base  of  the  tree  he  had  spent  so  much 
time  in  investigating.  He  looked  now  up,  and  then 
down.  He  gazed  up  at  the  two  windows  of  the  bal- 
cony. His  eyes  were  on  the  great  door  of  the  stable 
when  Valeska  appeared,  her  eyes  shining. 

"The  cook  has  a  cut  on  her  left  forefinger !"  she  an- 
nounced breathlessly.   "The  second  girl  says  that,  just 
before  they  discovered  the  crime,  the  cook  was  away 
from  the  kitchen  for  about  fifteen  minutes.    The  cook 
herself  says  that  she  had  gone  out  back  of  the  stable 
to  get  a  few  strawberries  for  her  own  supper." 
"Did  she  come  back  with  the  berries?" 
"Yes ;  but  she  might  have  picked  them  before." 
"What  shape  was  the  cut  on  her  finger?" 
"Why,  it  was  a  straight  cut,  of  course.  She  said  she 
did  it  slicing  ham.    But  you  know  she  might  have 
gone  up-stairs  and  into  the  guest-room,  which  has  a 
window  *on  the  same  balcony,  and — " 

"What  about  the  second  girl  ?"  Astro  interrupted. 
Valeska  laughed.    "She's  a  country  girl,  awfully, 
awfully  in  love  with  James.    She's  frightened  to  death 
for  fear  that  he'll  be  suspected  of  the  murder." 
"Did  she  hear  the  voices  and  the  laughter?" 
"No.    Anyway,  she  was  with  the  aunt  most  of  the 
time,  in  the  dining-room.   It  was  the  cook  who  did  it, 
I'm  sure." 

"And  how  about  the  whistle?  And  why  should  the 
cook  laugh  at  such  a  time  ?" 

Valeska's  face  fell.    "Well,"  she  said  finally,  "for 


98         JHE   MASTER  OF  MYSTERIES 

that  matter  why  should  any  murderer  laugh?  The 
whistle  might  have  been  a  signal  to  some  one  outside." 

"Except  that,  in  this  case,  it  wasn't.  My  dear,  the 
laughter  and  the  whistle  are  the  easiest  parts  of  the 
mystery.  What  I  want  to  know  is,  where  is  the  key 
to  the  door?  It  was  in  the  lock  when  Miss  Denton 
went  up-stairs  the  second  time." 

"Where,  indeed,  is  it?  That  would  show  a  good 
deal." 

"If  you'll  come  with  me,  I'll  show  it  to  you.  But 
first  I  think  we  had  better  get  Mr.  Masson.  I  may 
need  a  little  help  in  a  few  moments.  Will  you  kindly 
call  him?  I'll  be  in  the  stable." 

As  Valeska  left,  the  palmist  strolled  slowly  over  to 
the  stable  and  looked  in  the  great  door.  In  the  center 
of  the  floor  stood  a  large  brown  touring-car.  A  young 
man  in  overalls  was  polishing  the  brass  work. 

Astro  nodded.  "A  very  fine-looking  machine,"  he 
offered.  "A  Lachmore,  isn't  it?" 

The  chauffeur  grunted  and  kept  on  with  his  work:. 

"I  am  a  friend  of  Mr.  Masson's,"  Astro  went  on, 
"and  I  should  like  to  look  over  this  car.  I  am  think- 
ing of  getting  one  myself  some  day." 

Still  the  young  man  did  not  answer  except  by  in- 
articulate grunts. 

Astro  drew  nearer.  "What's  the  matter  with  your 
finger?"  he  asked  abruptly. 

The  young  man  looked  up,  now  angrily,  as  if  about 
to  make  a  discourteous  retort.  Seeing  Masson  ap- 
proaching, however,  he  replied,  "Oh,  it  got  jammed 
in  the  machine  a  day  or  two  ago.  What's  that  to  you  ?" 

"I'd  like  to  see  it.   I  can  cure  it.  I  am  a  healer." 

Astro  extended  his  hand  suavely. 


THE   DENTON   BOUDOIR   MYSTERY      99 

The  young  man  scowled  darkly.  "Oh,  it's  not  much. 
No  need  of  bothering  you." 

By  this  time  Masson  had  entered  with  Valeska. 

"Mr.  Masson,"  said  the  Seer,  "this  young  man  in- 
terests me  very  much.  I  have  been  conscious  ever 
since  I  arrived  at  Hamphurst  of  certain  very  harsh 
and  painful  vibrations.  In  the  boudoir,  these  grew 
more  intense.  I  felt  something  in  that  room  that  was 
neither  an  odor  nor  a  color,  but  partook  of  the  nature 
of  both.  Now,  singularly  enough,  I  find  the  same  in- 
fluence here,  only  more  active  and  vibrant.  This 
young  man  has  a  peculiar  aura.  I  wonder  that  you 
can  not  perceive  it  even  with  one  of  your  five  material 
senses." 

The  young  man  stared,  more  and  more  uncomfort- 
able at  the  talk.  Finally  he  dropped  his  rag,  walked 
round  to  the  back  of  the  car,  and  took  up  a  heavy 
wrench. 

Astro  raised  his  voice  slightly.  "Mr.  Masson,"  he 
said,  "I  can  see  this  fellow's  astral  body  as  well  as  his 
material  frame.  Now,  I  notice  on  the  forefinger  of 
his  left  hand,  in  its  astral  condition,  a  small  V-shaped 
cut  I  am  very  anxious  to  know  whether  such  a  cor- 
responding wound  is  to  be  found  on  his  fleshly  hand. 
Do  you  think  you  could  induce  him  to  remove  that 
bandage?" 

Masson,  mystified,  but  evidently  comprehending 
that  something  important  was  at  stake,  raised  his 
voice.  "Walters,"  he  said,  "kindly  oblige  me  by  re- 
moving that  rag  from  your  left  hand." 

Walters  looked  up  surlily.  "I  can't,  Mr.  Masson.  It 
would  make  it  bleed  again.  It  bled  like  anything  when 
I  jammed  it  in  the  machine." 


ioo        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"My  friend,"  said  Astro  genially,  "jammed  wounds 
do  not  bleed  to  any  extent.  It  is  a  V-shaped  scar 
then?" 

"What  of  it  ?"  The  chauffeur  stood  poised  in  a  sin- 
ister attitude. 

"That's  what  I  want  to  know,  too,"  cried  Masson. 
"By  heaven!  do  you  mean  that  this  fellow  here  had 
anything — " 

Astro  raised  his  hand.  "One  moment,"  he  inter- 
rupted. "First,  I  want  to  ask  you,  Walters,  to  show 
me  where  the  gasoline  tank  is  in  this  car?" 

A  look  of  terror  swept  over  the  young  man's  face. 
He  raised  the  wrench  in  his  hand  and  rushed  at  the 
palmist.  Astro  avoided  him  lithely  and  grappled  with 
him.  The  man  struck  out,  tore  himself  free,  and 
dashed  for  the  door.  He  would  have  made  his  escape 
had  not  Masson  jumped  for  him.  There  was  another 
scuffle.  Masson,  now  convinced  that  he  had  his  sweet- 
heart's murderer  before  him,  fought  like  a  maniac. 
Astro,  who  had  been  thrown  to  the  ground  by  the 
force  of  the  blow  he  had  received,  now  rose,  and  the 
next  moment  drew  out  a  revolver  and  covered  his 
prisoner. 

"Let  go,  or  I  shoot  you  like  a  dog!"  he  barked  out 
between  his  teeth.  "Let  him  go,  Masson !  This  is  not 
for  you.  The  law  will  attend  to  him.  The  man's  evil 
enough;  but  not  so  bad  as  you  think.  He's  no  mur- 
derer, really." 

At  these  words  Walters  turned  to  Astro  with  a 
gleam  of  hope  in  his  eye.  "Oh,  I'm  not,  sir!  Before 
God,  I  had  no  intention  of  murdering  her!  I  didn't 
know  I  had  till  afterward.  I  only  tried  to  keep  her 
from  screaming,  and  she  dropped  like  a  log.  It  was 


THE   DENTON   BOUDOIR   MYSTERY     101 

that  accursed  parrot !  Miss  Denton  was  frightened  to 
death,  sir,  and  so  was  I,  pretty  near." 

Astro  spoke  sharply.  "Valeska,  get  that  halter,  and 
I'll  fasten  him  so  he'll  be  safe  till  the  police  can  get 
here." 

"A  parrot,"  ejaculated  Valeska,  as  she  brought  the 
halter.  "Ah,  I  see!  That  accounts  for  the  strange, 
high-pitched  voice,  the  laughter,  and  the  whistling  1" 

"Get  up  now,  and  tell  your  story!"  commanded  As- 
tro. "And  remember  that  you  speak  in  the  presence  of 
one  to  whom  everything  is  revealed.  At  the  slightest 
departure  from  the  truth  I  shall  feel  instantly  the  shift- 
ing of  your  spectrum,  and  a  change  in  the  amplitude 
of  your  vibrations.  In  my  crystals  I  saw  the  scene; 
but  it  was  dusk,  and  the  glass  was  cloudy.  Tell  me 
exactly  what  happened,  and  if  it  coincides  with  my 
vision  you  shall  have  my  help  in  your  trial." 

"I'll  tell  the  truth,  so  help  me  God!"  cried  Walters. 
"Listen !  It  was  this  way.  It  was  only  her  money  I 
was  after.  I  had  planned  it  for  a  week  back,  knowing 
just  when  she  left  the  room  empty.  I  got  up  the  side 
stairs,  and  out  on  the  balcony,  and  into  the  tree  where 
I  could  watch  her.  As  soon  as  she  finished  dressing 
and  put  out  the  light  and  went  down-stairs,  I  slid  on  to 
the  balcony  and  slipped  into  the  room.  Well,  I  had 
got  her  purse  and  emptied  it,  when  all  of  a  sudden  the 
door  opened,  and  in  she  came;  for  I  hadn't  thought 
to  lock  it.  She  gave  a  little  scream  at  seeing  me  there 
in  the  dusk,  and  I  grabbed  her  to  keep  her  from  mak- 
ing more  noise.  Just  then  Hades  seemed  to  break  loose 
all  around  me.  There  was  a  voice  yelling,  'Great  God ! 
Great  God !'  and  then  something  feathery  came  scratch- 
ing and  flapping  into  my  face.  I  put  out  one  hand  to 


102       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

ward  it  off,  and  got  a  bite  that  made  me  drop  my  hold 
of  the  lady.  Then  as  she  fell  to  the  floor,  there  was  a 
laugh  that  made  my  blood  run  cold.  It  laughed  and 
laughed  fit  to  kill.  I  couldn't  stand  it!  I  didn't  care 
whether  I  was  caught  or  not  then ;  I  locked  the  door, 
climbed  out  on  the  tree  and  got  down  to  the  ground.  I 
didn't  dare  to  run  away,  for  fear  I'd  be  suspected !  but 
after  I  heard  how  it  came  out  it  was  all  I  could  stand 
to  stay  here.  I  didn't  know  what  to  do  about  Marie; 
but  I  hoped  she'd  get  off  some  way,  for  I  knew  they 
never  could  prove  it  on  her.  And  that's  the  truth,  so 
help  me  God !  Where  the  parrot  came  from  I  have  no 
idea." 

"It  belongs  in  the  next  neighbor's  house,  and  has 
been  missing  for  a  week,"  said  Masson.  "Now  I'll  go 
and  telephone  to  the  police." 

He  stopped  a  moment  and  looked  wistfully  at  the 
Seer.  "Ah,  I  knew  you  could  do  it,"  he  said.  "I  wish 
you  could  tell  me  now  how  ever  to  be  happy  again." 

"There  is  no  such  thing  as  happiness,  my  friend," 
said  Astro  seriously.  "There  is  no  joy  but  calm,  the 
Eastern  books  say." 

Masson  bowed  his  head.  Then,  as  he  left,  he  re- 
marked, "I  shall  send  you  a  check  in  the  morning. 
You  will  see  if  I  am  not  grateful." 


"What  I  don't  see  is,  how  you  knew  the  key  was 
in  the  gasoline  tank  of  the  auto?"  Valeska  asked  him, 
on  the  way  to  town. 

"I  am  not  yet  sure  that  it  was,  but  can  you  think  of 
any  safer  place  for  a  chauffeur  to  hide  it?"  Astro  re- 
plied with  a  smile. 


THE  LORSSON  ELOPEMENT 

THE  Master  of  Mysteries  entered  the  great  studio 
smiling,  and,  without  removing  his  overcoat  or 
silk  hat,  threw  himself  on  the  divan  and  chuckled. 

Valeska  looked  up  from  her  desk  with  a  question  in 
her  eyes,  though  she  did  not  speak.  As  Astro  did  not 
seem  inclined  to  answer,  she  resumed  her  work  with 
the  finger  prints.  Each  one  of  these,  printed  in  pale 
red  ink  on  a  small  sheet  of  bristol  board,  she  exam- 
ined carefully,  then  with  a  pencil  she  traced  out  the 
primary  figure  formed  by  the  capillary  lines,  starting 
from  the  microscopic  triangle  on  the  inside  of  the  fin- 
ger, where  the  lines,  coming  from  the  back,  first  sep- 
arated, and  then  following  the  curve  till  it  met  the 
corresponding  little  triangle  or  "island"  on  the  out- 
side of  the  finger.  The  axes  of  this  diagram  were  then 
drawn,  and  the  pattern  thus  defined  was  entered  on 
the  card  index  as  an  "invaded  loop",  an  "arched 
spiral",  or  a  "whorl",  according  to  Galton's  classifica- 
tion. 

So  absorbing  was  her  work  that  it  took  her  whole 
attention,  and  she  did  not  think  again  of  her  employer 
until  he  spoke  aloud.  He  had  thrown  off  his  overcoat 
and  put  on  his  oriental  turban  and  his  red  silk  robe 
to  be  ready  for  patrons.  No  visitors  had  yet  appeared 
to  interview  the  palmist,  however,  and  Astro  was  lazily 
puffing  -his  narghile. 

103 


104        THE    MASTER    OF    MYSTERIES 

"Valeska,"  he  said  at  last,  between  two  long  inKala- 
tions  of  the  water-pipe,  "did  you  ever  try  to  put  out  a 
fire  in  the  grate  by  covering  the  front  with  a  blower  ?" 

She  laid  down  her  pencil  and  looked  up  smiling. 
"Why,  no.  It  only  makes  the  fire  burn  the  hotter, 
doesn't  it?" 

He  nodded  his  head  gravely.  "Precisely.  And  yet 
that's  what  Mrs.  Lorsson  is  doing  with  her  daughter 
Ruth." 

Valeska  waited  for  something  more. 

"I  had  an  interesting  time  there  to-day,"  he  went 
on.  "There  were  a  dozen  or  more  pretty  well-known 
society  women  at  her  tea,  and  they  were  all  crazy  to 
have  me  read  their  palms,  of  course.  That  was  all 
stupid  enough,  until  Ruth  Lorsson  came  in.  Have 
you  ever  seen  her?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Valeska.  "A  pretty  girl  of  about 
eighteen,  with  dark  eyes  and  dark  hair,  isn't  she  ?  She 
always  looks  so  innocent  that  I  want  to  pet  her." 

"You  needn't  worry.  She  has  somebody  to  pet  her, 
if  I'm  not  mistaken.  And  as  for  being  timid  and  in- 
nocent ;  well,  you  never  can  tell  by  the  looks ;  that  is, 
unless  you  see  what  -I  saw."  He  smiled  again  mys- 
teriously. 

"Is  she  in  love  then?"  Valeska  asked. 

"Without  doubt,  by  her  handwriting,  which  I  saw 
a  sample  of — you  should  have  seen  the  double  curve 
in  the  crossing  of  her  t's — and  by  her  heart  line,  too, 
for  that  matter;  and  by  Her  general  appearance  and 
demeanor,  most  decidedly.  But  I  had  better  proof 
than  all  that." 

"Why,  was  he  there?  I  could  Have  told  in  an  in- 
stant, I'm  sure." 


THE    LORSSON    ELOPEMENT          105 

"No,  he  wasn't  there;  but  another  man  was;  and, 
though  it  was  evident  that  Mrs.  Lorsson  considers  him 
eligible  and  is  trying  to  make  a  match  of  it,  Ruth 
hates  him.  Of  course  you  or  any  bright  woman  could 
have  seen  that  as  well  as  I." 

"Then  how  did  you  find  out  specifically?" 

"Why,  in  a  surreptitious  way,  I  must  admit.  You 
know  that  Mrs.  Lorsson  wanted  to  exploit  me  as  the 
latest  fad,  and  she  insisted  that  I  should  come  in  cos- 
tume. Very  well,  I  was  willing  to  oblige.  Mrs.  Lars- 
son  is  rich  and  influential,  and  I  made  out  my  bill  ac- 
cordingly. 

"Well,  I  was  shown  up  into  Miss  Ruth's  room  to 
dress.  There  on  her  secretary  I  happened  to  see  her 
blotter  covered  with  figures.  If  it  had  been  writing,  I 
shouldn't  have  read  it;  but  I  confess  that  that  list  of 
numbers  piqued  my  curiosity,  and  I  looked  at  it.  It 
wasn't  a  sum,  or  anything  like  that.  It  occurred  to  me 
at  first  glance  that  it  was  a  cipher.  I  don't  know  why 
— perhaps  because  the  thing  seemed  so  meaningless. 
At  any  rate,  it  interested  me,  and  I  made  a  copy.  Here 
it  is." 

He  pulled  out  a  note-book  and  showed  Valeska  the 
list: 

3  36         91  2        101          91 

4  36          91  43          98          91 

5  36          91 


8        341          91 

i          81          91               71          96          91 
ii          61          91  


'What  do  you  make  of  it  ?" 


io6       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"Why,  nothing  as  yet.  It's  absolutely  meaningless." 
Valeska  looked  up. 

"I  agree  with  you  so  far.  But  let  me  tell  you  the 
rest  of  the  story.  Ruth  is,  as  you  know,  a  very  pretty 
young  girl;  but  she's  more  than  that — she's  clever. 
Of  course  the  cleverness  of  eighteen  isn't  quite  so  deep 
as  the  cleverness  of  maturity;  but  I  think  she  is  in- 
telligent enough  to  keep  that  stepmother  of  hers  guess- 
ing. Of  course  one  of  the  first  things  I  said  was  that 
she  was  in  love.  Her  stepmother  denied  it  so  indig- 
nantly that  I  immediately  smelled  a  mouse.  Ruth 
didn't  betray  herself;  but  I  noticed  that  the  young 
man  who  was  present  immediately  began  to  take  no- 
tice. He  is  Sherman  Fuller,  and,  I  imagine  from  what 
I  heard,  a  millionaire  in  his  own  right.  Decidedly  an 
eligible !  The  way  Mrs.  Lorsson  managed  him  was 
wonderful.  There's  no  doubt  that  if  she  can  throw 
Ruth  at  his  head  she'll  do  it.  He  seemed  to  be  per- 
fectly willing ;  but  Ruth  scarcely  looked  at  him.  When 
she  did,  it  was  with  scorn.  It  was  easy  enough  to  see 
how  the  land  lay.  She  was  in  love  with  some  one  else. 

"Well,  I  had  used  my  eyes  pretty  well  when  I  was 
up  in  her  room,  and  had  noticed  several  things.  Among 
these  were,  first,  a  Bible  on  her  book-shelf,  a  half-filled 
box  of  caramels,  a  copy  of  The  Star  with  one  page 
torn  out,  and  so  on.  I  tried  what  the  spiritualistic 
mediums  call  a  'fishing  test'  on  her,  saying  that  I 
thought  she  was  very  religious.  She  smiled  rather 
cynically;  but  her  stepmother  thought  it  was  wonder- 
ful. 'Why,  Ruth  goes  up  to  her  room  every  night  after 
dinner  to  read  her  Bible!'  she  exclaimed.  I  next  in- 
formed her  that  she  was  fond  of  sweet  things,  and 


THE   LORSSON   ELOPEMENT         107 

her  stepmother  corroborated  me  by  saying  that  she 
bought  a  box  of  candy  every  day  or  two. 

"The  rest  was  easy,  and  doesn't  matter.  But  I  could 
see  that  she  was  strictly  chaperoned.  She  didn't  go  out 
of  the  room  without  Mrs.  Lorsson's  asking  her  where 
she  was  going,  and  from  the  conversation  I  inferred 
that  she  went  nowhere  alone.  I  was  certain  it  was  not 
only  mere  conventionality.  Mrs.  Lorsson  watches  her. 
As  I  was  going  out,  a  maid  brought  some  letters  in  on 
a  salver.  One  was  for  Miss  Ruth.  Mrs.  Lorsson 
opened  it  calmly,  as  if  it  were  for  herself,  glanced  it 
over,  and  handed  it  to  her  stepdaughter.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  the  letters  Miss  Ruth  writes  are  inspected 
as  well." 

"Isn't  it  awful?"  sighed  Valeska.  "I  thought  that 
sort  of  thing  had  all  gone  by  nowadays." 

"Not  when  you  have  a  stepdaughter,  and  an  eligible 
young  millionaire  to  marry  her  to,"  said  Astro.  "That 
woman  is  a  tyrant  and  a  schemer.  There's  little  love 
lost  in  that  family,  I'm  sure.  But  now  look  at  the 
cipher  again." 

"First,  let  me  think,"  Valeska  said  thoughtfully, 
holding  the  paper  in  her  hand.  "Here's  a  young  girl 
who  is  having  a  young  man,  whom  she  doesn't  like, 
forced  on  her.  She  is  probably  in  love  with  another ; 
but  is  not  allowed  to  see  him  or  to  write  to  him.  Well, 
I'd  manage  to  communicate  with  him  in  some  way." 

"Yes,  and  you're  clever,  for  eighteen,  and  you  read 
the  Bible  every  night  after  dinner." 

"Oh!"  Valeska's  eyes  grew  bright.  "Then  these 
figures  refer  to  Bible  texts  ?  But  that  was  the  way  our 
grandmothers  wrote,  interlarding  their  messages  with 


108        THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Scriptural  quotations.  I  don't  really  believe  Ruth  is  so 
religious  as  that." 

"Ah,  you  don't  know  your  Bible  then,"  Astro  re- 
joined, as  he  went  to  a  bookcase  and  took  down  a 
copy.  "Why,  it's  the  most  wonderful  book  in  the 
world  in  more  ways  than  one!  It  not  only  contains 
the  sum  of  human  and  divine  wisdom,  but  almost  every 
message  that  one  might  wish  to  send.  Why,  it's  a 
ready-made  lover's  codex!  It  isn't  only  the  Song  of 
Songs  that  contains  beautiful  love  messages,  I  assure 
you.  They're  scattered  all  through  the  book." 

"Then  these  figures  must  refer  to  the  chapters  and 
verses,"  Valeska  said,  scrutinizing  the  numbers. 

"And  the  books,"  Astro  added. 

Valeska  still  puzzled  over  the  list  of  figures.  "The 
numbers  seem  too  high  for  that." 

"And  there's  our  first  clue.  Now  let  us  examine  the 
columns  in  detail.  We'd  naturally  expect  the  number 
of  the  book  to  come  first,  the  chapter  next,  and  the 
verse  last.  The  highest  number  in  the  first  row  is  sev- 
enty-one. But  there  are  only  sixty-six  books  in  the 
Bible ;  so  that  can't  be  the  number  of  any  book.  Taking 
the  second  column,  we  see  that  the  highest  number 
is  three  hundred  forty-one.  But  the  longest  book  in 
the  Bible,  the  book  of  Psalms,  has  only  one  hundred 
and  fifty  chapters,  so  that  column  can't  give  the 
chapter  numbers — as  it  is,  at  least.  The  third  column 
has  only  the  number  ninety-one.  That  can't  be  the 
number  of  every  verse." 

He  waited  for  Valeska.  She  frowned  prettily  as  she 
studied  it  out.  For  some  time  her  look  was  intense, 
rapt.  Then,  as  if  some  idea  passed  from  him  to  her, 
her  smile  came  radiantly,  and  she  exclaimed : 


THE  LORSSON   ELOPEMENT         109 

"The  figures  are  reversed !  What  a  sly-boots  she  is !" 
Astro  smiled  also.  "Of  course  I  saw  that  at  the 
first  glance.  There  is  a  direct  corroboration  of  it  plainly 
evident.  In  the  first  place,  ninety-one  reversed  is 
nineteen,  the  number  in  Biblical  order  of  the  book 
of  Psalms,  which  has  more  personal  messages  than 
any  other  book  and  second  we  get  the  chapter  one 
hundred  forty-three,  which  could  come  from  no  other 
.book,  of  course.  Now  let  us  try  and  see  what  we 
get.  I'll  begin  at  the  top,  the  sixty-third  Psalm, 
verses  three,  four,  and  five."  And  he  read  aloud : 

"  'Because  thy  loving  kindness  is  better  than 
life,  my  lips  shall  praise  thee. 

"  'Thus  will  I  bless  thee  while  I  live :  I  will  lift 
up  my  hands  in  thy  name. 

"  'My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  as  with  marrow  and 
fatness;  and  my  mouth  shall  praise  thee  with  joy- 
ful lips.' " 

"It's  pretty,  isn't  it?"  he  asked. 

The  tears  had  come  into  Valeska's  eyes.  "Oh,  it's 
beautiful !"  she  exclaimed.  "No  one  could  call  it  sacri- 
legious, even  though  she  has  used  the  words  that  ap- 
ply to  the  Almighty  for  her  own  lover.  She's  a  dear ! 
It  seems  wrong  to  pry  into  so  charming  a  secret ;  but 
I'm  dying  to  hear  the  rest  of  it." 

Astro  put  down  the  cipher.  "This  is  evidently  only 
one  side  of  the  correspondence,  you  must  remember. 
If  we  are  to  get  it  all,  we  must  find  his  answers.  That's 
a  little  more  difficult." 

"It  seems  impossible  to  me,"  said  Valeska.  "You 
only  happened  on  this.  I  shouldn't  know  where  to  look 
for  his  messages." 


i  io       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

He  sat  down  and  looked  at  her  seriously.  "The 
only  way  is  to  use  your  imagination  and  your  mem- 
ory. Put  yourself  in  her  place.  You  can't  trust  serv- 
ants or  mails.  You  are  watched  everywhere  except  in 
your  own  room.  Think  it  out ;  concentrate  your  mind 
on  the  problem." 

Valeska  dropped  her  head  on  her  hand  thoughtfully, 
and  spoke  as  if  to  herself.  "Let's  see.  I  am  in  my 
room  alone.  I  read  my  Bible  and  pick  out  appropriate 
messages.  But  how  do  I  get  them  to  him?"  She 
looked  up,  puzzled. 

"Never  mind  that  now.  How  does  he  communicate 
with  you?" 

"There's  a  box  of  candy  there,  and  a  newspaper — " 
She  paused  and  then,  gazing  at  him  through  narrowed 
eyes,  went  on.  "It  must  be  through  the  paper ;  I  can't 
see  any  other  way  possible.  No  one  would  suspect 
that,  if  the  message  were  concealed.  It  might  be  in 
the  ' Personal'  column." 

"That's  too  easy,  and  it  might  be  noticed.  Besides, 
The  Star  has  no  'Personals'." 

"Then —  It  couldn't  be  in  a  news  item ;  for  he 
wouldn't  be  sure  of  its  being  inserted,  even  if  he  were 
a  reporter.  It  must  be  in  an  advertisement." 

He  went  into  the  waiting-room,  and  returned  with 
a  copy  of  The  Star. 

"Correct,"  he  said.  "That's  the  only  possible  solu- 
tion. Now  the  thing  to  do  is  to  look  through  this  file 
of  The  Star  and  see  if  we  can  discover  any  advertise- 
ment that  seems  suspicious.  First,  what  date  shall  we 
lookup?" 

Valeska  returned  to  the  paper  on  which  the  num- 
bers were  written.  "Well,"  she  said,  "if  it  were  I,  I 


THE   LORSSON   ELOPEMENT          in 

should  want  to  have  a  message  as  often  as  possible.  If 
I  send  him  my  texts  every  night,  he  ought  to  reply 
in  the  morning  paper.  This  paper  seems  to  show  four 
messages.  The  last  one  must  be  yesterday's.  That 
would  bring  his  first  advertisement  just  four  days  ago 
— Monday,  May  twenty-fifth." 

He  turned  to  the  file,  and  they  looked  over  the  pages 
together,  her  chin  on  his  shoulder,  Astro's  long  fore- 
finger hovering  at  one  advertisement  after  another, 
his  suave  voice  keeping  up  a  running  commentary : 

"We'll  omit  the  displayed  ads.  He's  probably  poor, 
or  Ruth's  stepmother  wouldn't  object  to  him;  so 
couldn't  afford  that,  and  besides  they  would  be  too 
conspicuous.  All  the  little  ones  are  classified  under 
heads.  Let's  see:  'Automobiles/ — h'm,  all  well- 
known  second-hand  shops.  'Lawyers/ — nothing  there. 
'Real  Estate,  Villa  Lots/ — don't  see  anything,  do  you  ? 
'Furnished  Rooms.'  'Unfurnished  Flats/ — let's  go 
carefully  here.  What  we  want  is  three  figures.  We'll 
recognize  them  by  the  wording,  if  they're  put  in  on 
purpose.  I  don't  see  anything- there.  H'm,  'For  Sale/ 
— go  slow  now !  'Fixtures/  'Bargains/  'Typewriters.' 
'Sacrifice/ — well!  what  do  you  think  of  that?  Eu- 
reka!" 

His  finger  stopped  at  a  three-line  notice,  which  read : 

FOR  SALE 

19  vols.  of  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley,  63  illustra- 
tions on  wood;  $6  and  $8  each.  G.  P.  James  & 
Co.,  Flatiron  Bldg. 

"Now,  isn't  that  crazy  enougK  to  tie  suspicious? 
'Nineteen'  again,  too, — her  favorite  number.  Who  ever 
heard  of  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley,  except  in  the  papers 


112        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

of  The  Spectator,  anyway  ?  There  you  are :  19 :  63 — 6 
and  8.  Look  it  up !" 

Valeska  flew  to  the  Bible  and  turned  to  the  Psalms, 
and  read  from  the  sixty-third  chapter : 

"  'When  I  remember  thee  upon  my  bed,  and 
meditate  on  thee  in  the  night  watches. 

"  'My  soul  followeth  hard  after  thee :  thy  right 
hand  upholdeth  me.' " 

"The  blessed  infants !  Isn't  it  perfectly  lovely?  Ruth 
must  have  had  hard  work  to  answer  that ;  but  the  one 
she  sent  was  nearly  as  good,  wasn't  it?  Oh,  let's  find 
the  next  one,  and  get  the  whole  correspondence  quick ! 
It's  too  exciting !" 

Astro  opened  the  issue  of  the  twenty-sixth,  and 
scanned  the  advertisements  carefully.  It  was  some 
time  before  they  found  it,  and  several  false  clues  were 
followed  up.  Valeska,  thinking  she  had  discovered  the 
secret,  would  hurriedly  take  the  Bible,  only  to  be  re- 
ferred to  some  such  text  in  Ezra  as, — 

"'The  children  of  Magbish,  an  hundred  fifty 
and  six. 

"'The  children  of  Kirjath-arim,  Chephirah,  and 
Beeroth,  seven  hundred  and  forty  and  three, — ' " 

and  would  go  off  into  peals  of  laughter.  Some  of  these 
false  scents  led  deep  into  the  "Begats" ;  some  led  into 
the  whale's  belly. 

But  at  last  the  right  one  was  discovered  in  the  "Sec- 
ond Hand"  column,  which  read,  innocently  enough : 

FOR  SALE :  64  good,  1st  class,  2d  hand  tables. 
Address  CHESTER,  Star  Office. 


THE   LORSSON   ELOPEMENT          113 

And,  turning,  therefore,  to  the  third  book  of  John, 
chapter  one,  verse  two,  she  read  aloud: 

"'Beloved,  I  wish  above  all  things  that  thou 
mayest  prosper  and  be  in  health,  even  as  thy  soul 
prospereth.' " 

"Now  let's  arrange  the  whole  correspondence  as 
far  as  we  have  it,"  Valeska  suggested,  after  the  four 
messages  were  all  deciphered.  "It  certainly  is  a  charm- 
ing set  of  love-letters !" 

"It  may  well  be,  written  by  the  ablest  literary  men 
of  King  James'  epoch,"  said  Astro.  "You  read  off  the 
texts,  and  I'll  write  them  down.  It's  a  relief  from 
solving  murder  mysteries  and  dynamite  outrages  and 
stolen  jewels." 

Valeska,  having  the  references  checked  off,  read  as 
follows,  insisting  that  Ruth's  lover  should  be  called 
Chester,  from  the  name  in  the  second  advertisement. 

Ruth 

"'I  will  love  thee,  O  Lord,  my  strength.  (Ps. 
18:1.) 

"Thou  wilt  shew  me  the  path  of  life;  in  thy 
presence  is  fulness  of  joy;  at  thy  right  hand  there 
are  pleasures  for  evermore/"  (Ps.  16:11.) 

Chester 

"  'And  now  I  beseech  thee,  lady,  not  as  though  I 
wrote  a  new  commandment  unto  thee,  but  that 
which  we  had  from  the  beginning,  that  we  love 
one  another.  (2  John,  5.) 

"'I  stretch  forth  my  hands  unto  thee:  my  soul 
thirsteth  after  thee,  as  a  thirsty  land.  Selah."' 
(Ps.  143:6.) 


ii4       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Ruth 

"  'I  will  behave  myself  wisely  in  a  perfect  way. 
O  when  wilt  thou  come  unto  me?  I  will  walk 
within  my  house  with  a  perfect  heart.  (Ps. 
101:2.) 

"'My  covenant  will  I  not  break,  nor  alter  the 
thing  that  is  gone  out  of  my  lips.'"  (Ps.  89:34.) 

Chester 

"  'How  sweet  are  thy  words  unto  my  taste !  yea, 
sweeter  than  honey  to  my  mouth!  (Ps.  119:  103.) 

"'Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee?  and  there 
is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside  thee.'  "  (Ps. 
73:25.) 

Ruth 

"  'Cause  me  to  hear  thy  loving  kindness  in  the 
morning ;  for  in  thee  do  I  trust :  cause  me  to  know 
the  way  wherein  I  should  walk;  for  I  lift  up  my 
soul  unto  thee.  (Ps.  143:8.) 

"  'And  hide  not  thy  face  from  thy  servant ;  for  I 
am  in  trouble;  hear  me  speedily.'  "  (Ps.  69-17.) 

Valeska  reread  the  whole  series,  and  her  eyes 
burned  deep.  Astro  watched  her  pretty  serious  face 
without  a  word,  waiting  for  her  comments.  The  tears 
glistened  in  her  eyes  as  she  said  finally : 

"Oh !  can't  we  help  them  somehow?  Surely  you  can, 
if  you  only  will!" 

Astro  recited  whimsically  to  himself: 

"'They  warned  him  of  her, 

And  they  warned  her  of  him; 
And  the  courtship  proceeded 
To  go  on  with  a  vim !' " 

"It's  altogether  too  romantic  for  us  to  interfere  with. 
Let  them  have  their  clandestine  correspondence;  it 
makes  the  affair  interesting.  Wait  till  we  read  his  re- 


THE   LORSSON    ELOPEMENT          115 

ply  in  to-morrow's  Star,  Valeska.    Perhaps  they  can 
manage  it  themselves." 

This  was  all  she  could  get  out  of  the  Master  of  Mys- 
teries that  day;  but  she  knew  from  his  silent  contem- 
plation that  he  had  not  stopped  thinking  the  matter 
over.  She  herself  puzzled  her  wits  as  to  how  Ruth 
had  communicated  with  her  lover,  until  she  had  to  give 
it  up.  She  knew  that  if  she  waited  Astro  would  solve 
that  mystery,  if  indeed  he  had  not  already  found  it  out. 

She  came  into  the  studio  next  morning  excitedly. 
"Oh !  isn't  it  awful  ?"  were  her  first  words.  She  held 
the  morning  Star  out  to  him,  with  an  anxious  look. 

Astro  smiled  and  pointed  to  another  copy  which 
lay  on  his  great  table  where  his  astrological  charts 
were  spread  out.  "It's  only  a  lover's  quarrel,  I  think. 
He's  a  little  jealous  of  that  Sherman  Fuller,  I  im- 
agine." 

"Well,  that's  enough.  I  should  trunk  Chester  would 
be  wild!" 

"Well,"  said  Astro,  yawning,  "I'm  glad  he  made 
one  jump  out  of  the  Psalms,  anyway.  I  was  getting 
tired  of  that  number  nineteen.  Job  is  a  good  place  for 
a  jealous  man  to  look.  You'd  better  add  his  remarks 
to  our  list." 

Valeska,  therefore,  wrote  down  the  following  texts, 
which  she  had  drawn  from  the  advertisement  of  that 
morning's  paper: 

Chester 

"  'I  prevented  the  dawning  of  the  morning,  and 
cried :  I  hoped  in  thy  word.  (Ps.  119 : 147.) 

"'Thou  boldest  mine  eyes  waking:  I  am  so 
troubled  that  I  can  not  speak.  (Ps,  77:4.) 


ii6       THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"  'Lover  and  friend  hast  thou  put  far  from  me, 
and  mine  acquaintance  into  darkness.  (Ps.  18:18.) 

"  'When  I  thought  to  know  this,  it  was  too  pain- 
ful for  me.  (  Ps.  73:16.) 

"  'Why  doth  thine  heart  carry  thee  away  ?  and 
what  do  thine  eyes  wink  at  .  .  .  ?  (Job  15:12.) 

"  'Deliver  my  soul  from  the  sword ;  my  darling 
from  the  power  of  the  dog.' "  (Ps.  22 :20. ) 

"Surely  you'll  help  them  out  now,  won't  you  ?"  Va- 
leska  pleaded.  "We  can't  let  it  all  be  spoiled  this  way ! 
Think  how  hard  it  is  for  her  to  explain !" 

"Trust  her"  said  Astro,  shaking  his  head.  "Only 
I'd  like  to  know  how  she  does  it ;  that's  all  I  want.  I 
propose  that  we  take  a  walk  out  to  Fifty-third  Street 
this  evening.  You  know  she  goes  up-stairs  into  her 
room  every  night  after  dinner,  say  from  eight  till  nine 
o'clock.  I  think  if  we  walk  up  and  down  in  front  of 
that  block  we  may  find  something  doing." 

"Oh,  I  hope  we'll  find  Chester,  anyway !"  Valeska 
exclaimed. 


They  proceeded  as  he  had  suggested,  that  evening, 
to  walk  up  Fifth  Avenue  after  dinner,  reaching  Fifty- 
third  Street  at  a  few  minutes  past  eight.  Astro 
pointed  out  Ruth's  window,  which  was  already  lighted. 
Then  together  they  walked  slowly  up  and  down  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  keeping  the  house  well  in 
view. 

They  had  not  been  there  for  more  than  ten  minutes, 
when  the  sash  was  suddenly  thrown  up  in  Ruth  Lors- 
son's  room.  They  could  see  her  form  silhouetted 
against  the  light.  A  white  something  was  thrown  out, 
and  fell  on  the  sidewalk.  Immediately  a  man  emerged 


THE   LORSSON    ELOPEMENT          117 

from  the  shadow  of  the  adjacent  doorway,  ran  down 
the  steps,  picked  up  the  white  package,  and  walked 
rapidly  up  the  street. 

"It's  Chester !"  Valeska  exclaimed. 

"Yes,  we  must  find  out  where  he  lives  and  who  he 
is,"  was  Astro' s  reply.  "You  had  better  go  home,  and 
I'll  follow  him." 

The  man  had  walked  off  so  rapidly  that  she  saw  it 
would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  keep  up  with  him,  much 
less  overtake  him,  and  she  tried  to  stifle  her  disap- 
pointment as  Astro,  leaving  her,  walked  quickly  up 
the  street.  As  Chester  walked,  she  saw  him  tear  some- 
thing from  the  package  he  carried.  Then  another 
white  piece  dropped.  She  followed  far  enough  to  dis- 
cover what  the  fragments  were — the  sides  of  an  empty 
candy  box  which  Ruth  Lorsson  had  thrown  into  the 
street.  Her  message  had  indubitably  been  written  on 
the  bottom,  since  he  had  thrown  all  the  rest  away. 

"I  see  now  why  Miss  Ruth  is  so  fond  of  candy/' 
Valeska  said  to  herself.  "A  note  thrown  from  the  win- 
dow would  be  too  dangerous  and  too  hard  to  find.  It's 
ridiculously  simple !  I  think  I'm  growing  fond  of  that 
girl." 


Next  day  Astro  appeared  at  the  studio  with  the  in- 
formation that  the  young  man's  name  was  indeed 
Chester ;  that  he  was  an  artist  or  illustrator  for  maga- 
zines ;  and  that  he  lived  on  the  south  side  of  Washing- 
ton Square. 

"He's  getting  into  a  terrible  state,"  said  Valeska. 
"Did  you  read  his  advertisement  this  morning?  It 
was  under  'Lawyers'  this  time." 


ii8        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"I  haven't  had  time  to  look  over  The  Star.  What 
is  it?" 

Valeska  read  from  her  list  the  last  addition: 

"  Tor  thou  hast  made  him  most  blessed  for- 
ever; thou  hast  made  him  exceeding  glad  with  thy 
countenance.  (Ps.  21 :  6.) 

"  'Thou  hast  given  him  his  heart's  desire,  and 
hast  not  withholden  the  request  of  his  lips.  Selah. 
.(Ps.  21:2.) 

"'Yea,  they  opened  their  mouth  wide  against 
me,  and  said,  Aha,  aha,  our  eye  hath  seen  it.  (Ps. 
35:21.) 

"'I  am  troubled;  I  am  bowed  down  greatly;  I 
go  mourning  all  the  day  long.'"  (Ps.  38:6.) 

"Poor  devil!"  Astro  grew  serious.  "I  did  see  a 
paragraph  in  Town  Gossip  this  morning  about  a  Fifty- 
third  Street  belle  who  was  about  to  make  a  brilliant 
match.  It  was  thinly  disguised,  and  evidently  referred 
to  Ruth  Lorsson." 

"He  evidently  believes  she  is  engaged,"  said  Va- 
leska ;  "but  I  don't.  No  girl  would  give  up  such  a  ro- 
mantic lover." 

"Now,"  said  Astro,  "the  question  is:  How  are  we 
going  to  get  hold  of  her  side  of  the  correspondence? 
I'm  getting  as  interested  in  this  affair  as  if  I  were 
paid  for  it.  The  fact  that  there  is  a  misunderstanding 
does  alter  the  matter  too,  and  I  don't  see  but  that  we'll 
have  to  straighten  it  out  if  we  can.  I've  thought  of  a 
way  to  get  hold  of  to-night's  message  by  a  trick.  It 
may  work,  and  it  may  not.  Of  course  it's  rather  low 
of  us  to  interfere  with  their  private  post-office ;  but  we 
may  be  able  to  make  that  up  to  them  later.  Anyway, 


THE   LORSSON    ELOPEMENT          119 

it  will  make  it  exciting  for  them.  I'm  going  to  bait  a 
box  myself,"  he  went  on,  "and  place  it  on  the  sidewalk 
at  a  quarter  of  eight.  Chester  will  arrive  and  think 
that  for  some  reason  she  has  already  thrown  it  out, 
and  he'll  take  it  and  make  off.  Then,  when  she  throws 
her  own  box  out,  we'll  grab  it." 

The  temptation  was  too  great  for  Valeska's  curi- 
osity, and  she  gave  a  hesitating  consent,  on  the  agree- 
ment that  it  should  be  tried  only  once.  "But  you'll 
have  to  put  a  message  on  the  box,  or  he'll  know  there's 
something  wrong,"  she  said. 

"Turn  to  Psalms  102.  I  think  that  will  not  compro- 
mise her  too  much,"  Astro  said. 


"  'My  heart  is  smitten,  and  withered  like  grass  ; 
so  that  I  forget  to  eat  my  bread.  (Ps.  102:4.) 

"'Because  of  thine  indignation  and  thy  wrath: 
for  thou  hast  lifted  me  up,  and  cast  me  down.'  " 
(Ps.  102:10.) 


The  ruse  succeeded.  Shortly  after  eight  o'clock, 
Chester  came  walking  down  the  street,  spied  the  box 
which  Astro  had  placed  conspicuously  on  the  sidewalk, 
examined  it  quickly,  and  walked  hurriedly  away.  Fif- 
teen minutes  later,  Ruth's  box  dropped  from  the  win- 
dow. Astro  secured  it  and  took  it  to  a  near-by  lamp 
post,  looked  at  the  figures,  and  then  consulted  a  small 
Bible  which  he  drew  from  his  pocket. 

"This  is  too  bad,"  he  said  to  Valeska,  who  had  ac- 
companied him.  "I  didn't  think  she'd  be  so  strong. 
It  won't  do  for  him  to  miss  this  message,  poor  chap  ! 
Here,  read  it  :" 


120       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"  'Deliver  me  not  over  unto  the  the  will  of  mine 
enemies:  for  false  witnesses  are  risen  up  against 
me,  and  such  as  breathe  out  cruelty.  (Ps.  27:12.) 

"  'I  have  not  sat  with  vain  persons,  neither  will 
I  go  in  with  dissemblers.  (Ps.  26:4.) 

"  'But  as  for  me,  I  will  walk  in  mine  integrity : 
redeem  me,  and  be  merciful  unto  me.'"  (Ps.  26: 
11.) 

"I'll  tell  you  what'll  do,"  said  Astro,  "we'll  send  this 
down  to  his  house  by  a  messenger  boy.  He  won't 
know  what  to  make  of  it ;  but  he  won't  be  able  to  ask 
her  how  it  was  delivered  till  it's  all  over." 

The  message  was  sent  at  once ;  then,  as  Astro  walked 
with  Valeska  to  her  home,  he  said : 

"We  can't  do  this  again;  it  will  make  too  much 
trouble.  You'll  have  to  see  if  you  can't  get  into  his 
studio  some  way  and  find  out  what  messages  he  is  re- 
ceiving. You  can  go  and  offer  yourself  as  a  model. 
That  will  give  you  plenty  of  time  to  look  about,  and 
you  may  manage  to  find  the  bottoms  of  the  boxes  every 
day.  If  I  know  the  young  man  in  love,  he  won't  de- 
stroy them." 

Valeska  consented  to  attempt  the  adventure,  and  ac- 
cordingly set  out  the  next  morning  after  entering  on 
her  list  the  following  message  deciphered  from  Ches- 
ter's advertisement  in  The  Star: 


"'Let  the  lying  lips  be  put  to  silence;  which 
speak  grievous  things  proudly  and  contemptuously 
against  the  righteous.  (Ps.  31 :  18.) 

"  'For  I  said  in  my  haste,  I  am  cut  off  from  be- 
fore thine  eyes :  nevertheless  thou  heardest  the 
voice  of  my  supplications  when  I  cried  unto  thee. 
(Ps.  31:22.) 


THE   LORSSON   ELOPEMENT          121 

"  'In  the  day  when  I  cried  them  answeredst  me, 
and  strengthenedst  me  with  strength  in  my  soul. 
(Ps.  138:3.) 

"  'So  foolish  was  I,  and  ignorant :  I  was  as  a 
beast  before  thee.' "  (Ps.  73:22.) 

Astro  worked  all  day  in  his  studio  alone,  reading 
palms  and  casting  horoscopes  for  his  fashionable  cli- 
ents, and  during  the  leisure  times  between  their  calls, 
casting  many  a  glance  across  to  the  desk  where  his 
pretty  blond  assistant  was  wont  to  look  up  at  him  with 
such  animation  whenever  he  spoke.  The  velvet  hang- 
ings were  dull  and  shadowy,  and  the  high  lights  on 
trophies  of  arms  and  tinseled  costumes  on  the  wall 
twinkled  through  the  dusk,  when  the  portieres  parted, 
and  Valeska,  smartly  attired,  gloved  and  feathered, 
appeared.  Astro  smiled  for  almost  the  first  time  that 
day.  She  sank  into  a  deep  divan  to  get  her  breath. 
He  turned  on  a  light  above  her  head. 

"He's  a  perfect  dear !"  she  said  as  soon  as  she  could 
speak.  "He  isn't  at  all  handsome,  in  fact  he's  ugly; 
but  he's  the  most  romantic  and  kind-hearted  chap  in 
the  world.  I'd  trust  him  anywhere.  He  has  red  hair, 
and  twinkling  blue  eyes,  and  fine  teeth,  and  so  young 
— why  he  made  me  feel  eighty  years  old !  It  was  too 
easy!  I  was  just  what  he  wanted,  and  I  was  intelli- 
gent, and  he  liked  my  hands."  She  extended  them 
gracefully  for  Astro  to  admire.  He  kissed  her  fin- 
ger-tips. 

"It  was  a  funny  old  place,  all  full  of  canvases  with 
their  faces  to  the  wall,  and  dust,  and  pewter  pots,  and 
brushes,  and  old  magazines,  and  everything".  It  smelled 
horribly  of  tobacco  and  turpentine;  but  it  was  such 
fun !  I  didn't  have  to  do  much  detective  work,  either. 


122        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Do  you  know,  the  child  actually  had  all  those  candy- 
box  bottoms  nailed  in  a  row  on  the  wall  over  the  man- 
tel-piece! I  felt  like  a  thief.  There  they  were,  all  of 
them  you  got  the  list  of,  and  the  one  we  sent  last  night, 
and  there  was  a  shabby  Bible  on  his  mantel-piece." 

"How  did  he  treat  you?" 

Valeska  laughed.  "Well,  not  in  a  way  to  make  me 
conceited.  Oh,  he's  in  love,  all  right.  He  looked  at 
me  exactly  as  if  he  were  purchasing  a  horse.  I  almost 
expected  him  to  open  my  mouth  and  examine  my  teeth 
to  see  how  old  I  was.  But  he  was  nice,  all  the  same, 
and  delighted  to  find  a  model  that  had  brains  and 
could  take  and  hold  a  pose.  My,  if  I'm  not  tired, 
though !  I  was  supposed  to  be  playing  on  a  piano — 
the  table — and  looking  up  mischievously  over  my 
shoulder.  I  ache  all  over!" 

"Of  course  he  didn't  say  anything  significant?" 

"No.  But  he  stopped  working  every  little  while  and 
began  to  think;  and  I  knew  what  that  meant.  Then 
he'd  go  to  the  window  and  look  out  for  a  long  while, 
and  then  come  back  and  draw  like  mad.  Oh,  he  had 
all  the  signs !  Poor  boy !" 

"Does  he  want  you  to-morrow?" 

"Yes,  all  this  week." 

"Good !  By  that  time  I  think  we  shall  have  arranged 
'some  plan  to  help  him.  If  I  bought  a  picture  or  two, 
it  might  help,  perhaps." 

Valeska  posed  for  Chester  the  six  days,  returning 
each  evening  to  the  studio  to  report  to  Astro,  each 
time  more  interested  in  the  love-affair.  Each  day  she 
wrote  down  the  cipher  message  printed  in  The  Star, 
and  the  text  she  found  in  the  studio  written  on  Ruth's 


"  He  looked  at  me  as  if  he  were  purchasing  a  horse." 


THE    LORSSON    ELOPEMENT          123 

candy  box.   At  the  end  of  the  week  the  courtship  be- 
gan to  approach  a  crisis,  as  the  correspondence  showed. 

Ruth 

"  'He  that  worketh  deceit  shall  not  dwell  within 
my  house;  he  that  tell eth  lies  shall  not  tarry  in 
my  sight.  (Ps.  101:7.) 

"  'But  thou  art  the  same,  and  thy  years  shall 
have  no  end.'"  (Ps.  102:27.) 

Chester 

"  'I  will  instruct  thee  and  teach  thee  in  the  way 
which  thou  shalt  go :  I  will  guide  thee  with  mine 
eye.'"  (Ps.  32:8.) 

Ruth 

"  'And  I  will  delight  myself  in  thy  command- 
ments, which  I  have  loved.  (Ps.  119:47.) 

"'But  mine  enemies  are  lively,  and  they  are 
strong:  and  they  that  hate  me  wrongfully  are 
multiplied.  Ps.  38:  19.) 

"  'All  that  hate  me  whisper  together  against  me : 
against  me  do  they  devise  my  hurt.' "  (Ps.  41 :7.) 

Chester 

"'Let  not  them  that  are  mine  enemies  wrong- 
fully rejoice  over  me:  neither  let  them  wink  with 
the  eye  that  hate  me  without  a  cause.  (Ps. 
35:19.) 

"  'Let  them  be  turned  back  for  a  reward  of 
their  shame  that  say,  Aha,  aha/"  (Ps.  70:3.) 

Ruth 

"'Pull  me  out  of  the  net  that  they  have  laid 
privily  for  me:  for  thou  art  my  strength.  (Ps. 
31 : 4.) 

"  'Then  call  thou,  and  I  will  answer :  or  let  me 
speak  and  answer  thou  me/  "  (Job  13 :22.) 


i24        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

Chester 

"'Having  many  things  to  write  unto  you,  I 
would  not  write  with  paper  and  ink :  but  I  trust  to 
come  unto  you,  and  speak  face  to  face,  that  our 
joy  may  be  full.'  "  (2  John:12.) 

Ruth 

"'They  gather  themselves  together,  they  hide 
themselves,  they  mark  my  steps,  when  they  wait 
for  my  soul.  (Ps.  56:  6.) 

"  'And  I  said,  Oh  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove ! 
for  then  I  would  fly  away,  and  be  at  rest.  (Ps. 
55:6.) 

"  'I  would  hasten  my  escape  from  the  windy 
storm  and  tempest.  (Ps.  55:8.) 

"  'That  thy  beloved  may  be  delivered ;  save  with 
thy  right  hand,  and  hear  me/"  (Ps.  60:5.) 

Chester 

"'And  it  shall  be,  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it 
shall  be,  that  what  goodness  the  Lord  shall  do 
unto  us,  the  same  will  we  do  unto  thee.5 "  (Num. 
10:32.) 

Ruth 

"  'Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come :  in  the  volume  of  the 
book  it  is  written  of  me.  (Ps.  40:  7.) 

"'And  Ruth  said,  Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee, 
or  to  return  from  following  after  thee:  for 
whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go;  and  where  thou 
lodgest,  I  will  lodge:  thy  people  shall  be  my 
people,  and  thy  God  my  God.'  "  (Ruth  1 :16.) 

"It  is  getting  serious,  isn't  it?'*  said  Valeska,  wHen 
she  brought  the  last  message  of  Ruth's.  "Poor  Ches- 
ter is  half  crazy.  He's  been  working  like  mad  to  get 
some  illustrations  for  The  Universal  Magazine  done; 
so  as  to  get  money  enough  to  get  married  on,  I  sup- 


THE    LORSSON    ELOPEMENT          125 

pose.  But  how  in  the  world  they  are  going  to  elope, 
I  don't  see." 

"Love  laughs  at  locksmiths,"  said  Astro. 

"But  not  at  stepmothers.  All  the  same,  they're  go- 
ing to  do  it  somehow,  and  I  want  to  see  the  fun.  It's 
bound  to  come  off  in  a  day  or  so  now.  I'm  dying  to 
speak  of  it  to  Chester  and  offer  to  help  him ;  but  I'm 
afraid  it  would  spoil  his  fun.  Hadn't  we  better  just 
play  about  on  the  edge  of  it,  and  be  ready  for  anything 
that  happens  ?" 

"It  all  depends  on  the  next  message.  You  go  to  the 
studio  to-morrow  and  see  if  you  can't  find  out  about 
the  elopement." 

"All  right,"  said  Valeska. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  Astro  received  by 
a  messenger  a  hurriedly  penciled  note.  It  read : 

"Something  awful  has  happened !  Chester  broke 
his  leg  last  night,  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital; 
but  when  it  was  set  (the  leg),  he  insisted  on  being 
brought  home  to  the  studio.  He's  almost  crazy, 
and  has  a  fever,  and  I'm  sure  the  elopement  was 
planned  for  to-night.  I'll  get  it  out  of  him  some- 
how, and  you  must  tell  me  what  to  do.  Here's  the 
text  he  got  last  night:  I  can't  make  it  out;  so 
please  tell  me  immediately.  V." 

The  text  indicated  was  from  the  fifty-ninth  Psalm, 
verse  fourteen: 

"  'And  at  evening  let  them  return ;  and  let  them 
make  a  noise  like  a  dog,  and  go  round  about  the 
city.'" 

As  soon  as  Astro  had  looked  it  up,  he  put  on  his  hat 
and  coat,  and  jumping  into  his  green  limousine  drove 
to  Washington  Square. 


126       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

It  was  half  past  eight  when  Ruth  Lorsson  raised 
the  shade  of  her  window  and  threw  up  the  sash.  It 
was  raining,  and  the  asphalt  pavement  shimmered  with 
reflected  lights.  At  the  curb  opposite  her  house  a 
taxicab  was  waiting.  She  looked  at  it  eagerly. 

There  came  a  sudden  noise  like  the  barking  of  a  dog 
repeated  three  times.  Ruth  smiled,  let  doton  the  sash, 
and  drew  the  shade.  Then,  stuffing  a  package  wrapped 
in  a  towel  inside  her  full  blouse,  she  ran  down-stairs. 

"Ruth,  child!  what  are  you  doing?"  Mrs.  Lorsson's 
voice  came  petulantly. 

Ruth  hovered  a  moment  by  the  doorway,  to  say,  in 
a  voice  that  trembled  a  little,  "Oh,  I  only  want  to  get 
the  Smiths'  address  from  one  of  their  cards  on  the 
hall  table." 

She  walked  swiftly  to  the  front  door,  opened  it 
noiselessly,  slipped  out,  and  shut  it  carefully  behind 
her.  She  had  to  slam  it  to  make  it  latch,  and  the 
jar  frightened  her.  She  fairly  flew  down  the  steps 
now,  and  ran  across  the  street  straight  for  the  cab. 
The  door  in  its  side  swung  open,  and  she  popped  in- 
side. The  cab  instantly  drove  off  at  a  furious  pace. 

There  was  a  dark  figure  inside.  She  snuggled  up  to 
it  deliciously.  "Oh,  Harry!"  she  breathed.  "At  last! 
Oh,  I  thought  this  time  never  would  come!"  Then 
with  a  little  scream  she  jumped  away  from  him.  "Who 
are  you !"  she  demanded.  Her  voice  rang  with  terror. 

"My  dear,"  said  Astro,  "don't  be  frightened.  Mr. 
Chester  couldn't  come.  He  has  had  a  slight  accident ; 
but  not  bad  enough  to  prevent  his  being  married  to- 
night. I'm  going  to  have  the  pleasure  of  giving  you 
away.  I  have  your  bridesmaid  all  ready  at  the  studio." 

"Why,  how  did  you  know?"  she  demanded,  staring 


THE   LORSSON    ELOPEMENT          127 

at  him.  Then,  as  an  electric  light  suddenly  illuminated 
the  interior  of  the  cab,  she  recognized  the  fine  pic- 
turesque features  of  the  Master  of  Mysteries,  and  gave 
a  little  sigh  of  relief.  "Oh,  it's  Astro!"  she  exclaimed. 
"You  know  everything,  don't  you?  Did  you  see  it 
in  your  crystal  ball  ?" 

He  smiled  as  he  replied,  "My  dear,  I  saw  it  in  your 
pretty  eyes  the  first  time  I  saw  you." 

"But  tell  me  about  Harry !  Oh,  I  am  so  frightened ! 
It  must  be  a  bad  accident  to  keep  him  away — to-night." 

He  reassured  her,  and  they  drove  on  she,  excited, 
eager  with  anticipation,  fearful  of  the  step  she  had 
taken,  but  more  and  more  confident  in  Astro's  protec- 
tion. They  reached  Washington  Square,  and  hurried 
to  the  studio.  Valeska  met  them  at  the  door  with  a 
smile.  For  a  moment  Ruth  eyed  her  suspiciously. 

"Your  bridesmaid,"  said  Astro. 

Ruth,  relieved,  but  anxious  for  a  sight  of  her  lover, 
darted  by  with  hardly  a  glance,  and  ran  to  the  bed 
where  Harry  Chester  lay,  weak,  but  impatiently  await- 
ing her. 

"Oh,  Harry!" 

"Oh,  Ruth!" 


Astro  and  Valeska  walked  into  the  hall.  "Well," 
said  Astro,  "I  hope  she's  satisfied  now.  She  has  lost 
four  millions  and  three  magnificent  houses,  not  to  speak 
of  a  permanent  place  in  smart  society." 

"For  which  she'd  have  to  pay  all  her  life,"  said 
Valeska.  "If  you  ask  me,  I'd  say  she's  got  a  bargain. 
Come,  let's  call  in  the  minister !  I'm  going  to  wait  and 
see  it  out !" 


THE   CALENDON   KIDNAP- 
ING  CASE 

HARDLY  had  Astro's  office  hours  begun,  one 
morning,  when  Valeska  threw  back  the  black 
velvet  portieres  of  the  great  studio,  and  motioned  her 
visitors  to  enter.  They  came  in  anxiously — a  dignified 
but  careworn  haggard  man  of  fifty  and  his  hysterical 
sobbing  wife.  Apparently  they  expected  immediately 
to  meet  the  Master  of  Mysteries  face  to  face ;  for  they 
looked  curiously  about  the  richly  decorated  apartment 
with  a  hesitating  air. 

"You'll  have  to  wait  a  few  moments,"  said  the  girl 
in  a  friendly  voice.  "The  Master  is  at  present  rapt  in 
a  psychic  trance,  and  can  not  be  disturbed.  Excuse 
me  while  I  prepare  for  his  awakening.  It  is  dangerous 
to  call  him  too  suddenly ;  but  I  know  your  business  is 
urgent,  and  I'll  do  what  I  can." 

With  that,  she  took  from  a  small  antique  reliquary 
a  handful  of  green  powder  and  scattered  it  on  a  censer. 
Almost  immediately  it  flared  up  and  sent  forth  an  aro- 
matic smoke.  It  flickered  eerily  as  she  left  them. 
Once  alone,  she  entered  a  small  chamber  off  the  recep- 
tion-room, and  turned  on  the  studio  lights  from  an 
electric  switch. 

In  the  place  where  she  stood  now,  looking  into  a 
large  mirror,  she  could  see  the  visitors,  vividly  illum- 

128 


THE   CALENDON    KIDNAPING   CASE     129 

inated,  as  if  in  a  camera  obscura.  The  man  sat  list- 
lessly staring  straight  ahead  of  him  without  movement 
of  any  kind.  The  woman  gazed,  with  raised  eyebrows 
and  a  half-startled  expression,  from  one  curious  ob- 
ject to  another.  The  skull  in  a  corner  made  her  trem- 
ble. Her  fingers  plucked  nervously  at  her  wrap.  It 
was  evident  that  she  was  fearfully  distraught. 

Astro  entered  the  cabinet  and  cast  his  eyes  on  the 
glass.  His  assistant  leaned  close  to  him  and  whis- 
pered : 

"A  kidnaping  case.  The  Calendons'  little  boy  was 
stolen  a  week  or  so  ago,  don't  you  remember?  It's 
really  dreadful.  The  police  have  been  unable  to  locate 
the  child  anywhere,  and  the  parents  are  half  crazy 
about  it.  She  poured  it  all  out  to  me  while  they  were 
waiting  for  you.  I  do  hope  you  can  do  something !" 

The  Seer's  eyes  were  busy  in  the  mirror.  "Yes,  I 
know.  He's  a  director  in  the  tobacco  trust.  I'd  have 
known  it,  anyway,  by  that  little  gold  cigar  on  his 
watch-charm.  A  dozen  of  them  were  made  for  souve- 
nirs when  the  combine  was  first  organized.  He  hasn't 
slept  for  two  or  three  nights.  But  what's  he  doing 
with  The  Era?  He'd  naturally  be  a  reader  of  The 
Planet.  Oh,  I  see!  The  kidnapers,  of  course,  have 
asked  him  to  communicate  with  them  through  the 
'Personal'  column.  So  they've  begun  to  work  him 
already.  Poor  devil!" 


It  was  an  agonizing1  story  that  fell  from  the  lips  of 
Calendon  a  little  later;  one  which,  in  all  the  sensa- 
tional events  of  the  Seer's  career  in  the  solution  of 
mysteries,  long-  stood  out  as  unique.  Used  as  was 


130       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

Astro  to  astonishing  recitals,  there  was  a  ferocity 
about  this  crime  that  astonished  him.  Calendon  recited 
the  details  in  a  voice  as  hard  and  strained  as  a  taut 
wire. 

"My  five-year-old  boy,  Harold,  has  been  missing 
for  ten  days,  having  been  kidnaped  and  kept  in  hiding 
by  the  most  merciless  gang  of  fiends  in  New  York.  I 
try  to  restrain  myself,  sir,  in  order  to  tell  you  the 
story  concisely;  but  I  assure  you  that  it  is  hard  to 
speak  calmly.  My  child  was  abducted  in  Central  Park, 
where  he  had  gone  with  his  nurse.  He  had  strayed  a 
little  away  from  her  at  the  time.  I  can  not  think  the 
crime  was  committed  with  her  connivance.  Neverthe- 
less, she  has  been  closely  watched.  I  have  not  spared 
money,  I  assure  you.  I  at  once  notified  the  police,  and 
they  have  been  at  work  on  the  case,  without  results,  so 
far."  He  paused  for  a  moment,  almost  overcome. 

His  wife  interrupted  him  with  a  cry  of  anguish 
pitiful  to  hear.  "Oh,  James!  how  can  you  sit  there 
and  tell  all  that?  Why  don't  you  tell  him  immediately 
what  has  happened  to-day  ?  Why  don't  you  show  him 
the  terrible  thing?"  She  dropped  her  face  in  her 
hands  and  sobbed  aloud.  Valeska,  deeply  moved  her- 
self, tried  in  vain  to  comfort  her. 

Calendon  put  a  trembling  hand  into  his  pocket  and 
drew  out  a  package  wrapped  in  paper.  Silently  he 
handed  it  to  the  palmist.  Astro  took  it  and  carefully 
undid  the  wrapping. 

Inside  was  disclosed  a  small  tin  box,  such  as  tobacco 
of  the  sliced-plug  variety  usually  comes  in.  This, 
opened,  showed  an  object  in  crumpled  oiled  paper, 
packed  in  the  box  with  cotton-wool.  Astro,  with  a 
grave  expression  on  his  face,  picked  the  thing  up  and 


"Why   don't  you   show   him  the  terrible   thing? 


THE   CALENDON   KIDNAPING   CASE     131 

looked  carefully  at  it.  With  great  caution,  then  he 
slowly  unfolded  the  paper.  It  was  a  child's  toe. 

For  a  few  minutes  not  a  sound  was  heard  in  the 
studio,  save  Mrs.  Calendon's  choking  sobs,  and  the 
intake  of  her  husband's  deep  breaths  as  he  endeavored 
to  master  his  emotion.  Astro  put  aside  the  gruesome 
object  with  its  wrappings,  and  then  extended  his  hand 
and  grasped  Calendon's  with  a  strong  encouraging 
pressure. 

"Mr.  Calendon,"  he  said  simply,  "I  am  at  your  serv- 
ice. I  thank  God  that  I  have  had  some  success  in 
tracking  down  worse  crimes  than  this,  and  what  I  can 
do  in  this  matter  shall  be  done  without  reward.  Cheer 
up,  Mr.  Calendon ;  I  can  help  you !  Madam,  pray 
accept  my  sympathy;  but  master  yourself,  for  I  must 
hear  the  whole  story." 

Calendon  moistened  his  lips,  pulled  himself  together, 
and  looked  gratefully  at  the  slender  poetic  figure  be- 
fore him.  "I'll  tell  you  the  rest  of  the  story  now,  and 
I  pray  to  God  that  you  can  help !"  He  turned  to  his 
wife,  and  after  she  was  calmer  he  proceeded. 

"It's  devilishly  ingenious,  sir.  What  they  are  hold- 
ing the  boy  for  is  in  order  to  get  tips  on  the  market. 
That's  their  price.  I  got  from  them  the  third  day  a 
typewritten,  unsigned  letter  telling  me  that  if  I  valued 
the  life  of  my  boy,  I  should  give  them  inside  informa- 
tion of  the  stock  market.  They  furnished  me  with  a 
cipher, — an  easy  one  that  simply  reads  backward,  and 
by  means  of  it  I  communicate  with  them  every  morn- 
ing in  the  personal  column  of  The  Era.  I  am  not  a 
stock  gambler,  sir,  although  I  have  a  fair  knowledge 
of  current  Wall  Street  probabilities,  and  I  soon  ex- 
hausted what  information  I  had,  and  it  became  harder 


132        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

and  harder  to  deliver  the  goods.  You  know  how  these 
things  go:  a  big  deal  isn't  pulled  off  every  day,  and, 
not  being  on  the  inside,  I  had  to  get  down  on  my  knees 
to  beg  for  news  from  the  men  on  the  Street  who  were 
able  to  help  me.  A  few  have  interested  themselves  in 
my  misfortune  and  assisted  me;  but  they're  a  cold- 
blooded set  as  a  rule.  But  for  a  week  I  kept  these 
bloodsuckers  posted  as  well  as  I  could,  and  I  had  good 
luck  with  my  predictions.  They  must  have  made 
thousands;  but  still  they  wouldn't  give  up  the  boy. 
Why  should  they?  They  have  a  good  thing,  and 
intend  to  work  it  for  all  it's  worth. 

"But  yesterday — great  God ! — yesterday  I  advertised 
in  good  faith  to  buy  Continental  Zinc.  It  was  selling 
at  31,  and  I  had  figured  on  a  big  dividend  being  de- 
clared— so  my  advice  had  it — but  instead  the  direct- 
ors voted  to  pass  it,  and  the  stock  fell  six  points.  It 
rallied  later,  on  the  mine  reports ;  but  the  rise  came  too 
late." 

He  stopped  to  draw  a  typewritten  slip  from  his 
pocket.  "Here's  what  came  in  the  box/'  he  said  brok- 
enly, and  hid  his  face  in  his  hands.  Mrs.  Calendon 
began  weeping  afresh. 

Astro  took  the  note  and  read  it : 

"This  is  what  we'll  do  every  time  you  fool  us. 
Be  sharp!" 

For  some  time  Astro  gazed  at  the  sheet  of  paper, 
then  rose  and  put  it  away  with  the  other  relics.  "Have 
you  the  other  letter  here?" 

Calendon  took  an  envelope  from  his  inside  pocket 
and  handed  it  to  the  palmist. 

Astro  held  the  envelope  to  the  light,  smelled  of  it, 


THE  CALENDON   KIDNAPING  CASE     133 

looked  at  the  flap  for  a  minute  with  his  lens,  then 
placed  it  on  a  side  table.  At  last  he  rose  and  walked 
quietly  over  to  a  cupboard,  from  which  he  took  a 
large  crystal  ball.  This  he  placed  on  a  black  velvet 
cushion.  He  gazed  into  the  sphere  long  and  earnestly. 
It  was  his  way  of  gaining  time  for  reflection. 

The  Seer  finally  drew  his  long  slim  hand  across  his 
forehead  and  nodded  his  head.  "There  is  no  one  you 
suspect?  No  woman?"  he  asked  deliberately. 

Calendon  shook  his  head  in  silence. 

"My  nurse  girl  has  been  completely  prostrated  by 
the  shock,"  Mrs.  Calendon  volunteered.  "We  are 
both  sure  she  is  innocent." 

"There  is  a  woman  concerned  in  this,  nevertheless. 
Now  tell  me  what  the  police  have  done.  They  have 
tried  to  trace  the  buyers  of  the  stocks  you  tipped  off, 
I  presume?" 

"Certainly.  We  have  tried  to  find  what  persons, 
if  any,  have  profited  by  all  the  tips;  but  have  been 
unsuccessful.  I  shall  have  a  list,  to-night  probably,  of 
all  the  buyers  of  Continental  Zinc,  eliminating,  of 
course,  the  names  of  those  who  have  bought  for  in- 
vestment. The  criminals  are  undoubtedly  speculating 
on  a  margin,  so  there's  little  use  looking  up  the  records 
of  the  transfer  office." 

"You  have  your  tip  for  to-morrow  all  ready  for  the 
newspaper  ?" 

"Yes,  and  this  time  I'm  sure  it's  safe." 

"Very  well,  then,  proceed  as  usual.  You  have,  I 
suppose,  your  own  detectives  working  on  the  case  ?" 

"Yes.    Can  they  do  anything  for  you  ?" 

"I'll  telephone  you  early  in  the  morning,"  said  Astro, 
rising.  "To-night  I  shall  be  busy.  I  shall  cast  the 


134       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

child's  horoscope,  and  find  out  the  best  path  to  pursue. 
Kindly  give  me  the  exact  hour  of  Harold's  birth." 

He  wrote  it  down  solemnly,  then  pressed  an  elec- 
tric bell.  Valeska  appeared  in  the  doorway ;  the  visit- 
ors followed  her  into  the  waiting-room  to  the  outer 
door. 

Before  she  left,  Mrs.  Calendon  took  the  girl's  hand. 
"Oh,  he's  a  wonderful  man !"  she  exclaimed.  "Some- 
how I  have  great  faith  in  him.  I'm  strengthened 
already.  He  seems  to  know  everything.  Such  eyes !" 

Her  husband  shook  his  head  skeptically  and  went 
out  without  a  word. 

Astro,  meanwhile,  had  turned  eagerly  to  the  things 
that  had  been  brought  him,  the  lines  of  his  olive  face 
set  and  determined.  From  the  inspired  mystic  to  the 
man  of  practical  analytic  mind,  the  transition  had 
been  instantaneous.  All  pose  was  now  dropped.  His 
inspection  was  so  absorbing  that  he  did  not  notice 
Valeska's  entrance.  She  did  not  speak,  therefore,  and 
watched  him  as  he  pored  over  the  envelope,  then  at 
the  oiled-paper  wrapping  of  the  horrid  relic.  Half  an 
hour  went  by,  during  which  the  palmist  rose  several 
times  to  pace  up  and  down  the  length  of  the  dim 
studio.  Once  he  took  down  a  book  from  his  shelves 
and  ran  hurriedly  through  its  pages,  stopping  to  mark 
a  diagram.  Valeska  tiptoed  across,  and  looked  at  the 
volume.  It  was  Galton's  Finger  Prints,  a  classifica- 
tion of  all  the  known  capillary  markings  of  the  digital 
tips.  It  was  an  hour  before  Astro  put  up  his  work, 
much  of  which  time  had  been  spent  merely  in  sitting 
with  half-closed  eyes,  inert.  Then  he  rose  and 
yawned. 

"Well,  little  girl,  a  bit  of  supper  wouldn't  go  bad, 


THE    CALENDON    KIDNAPING   CASE     135 

would  it?"  he  said  gaily.  "Afterward,  you  may  sit 
at  my  feet,  and  I  shall  tell  you  of  my  desire  to  meet 
a  lady  that  takes  snuff,  whose  left  thumb  shows  an 
invaded  loop  with  two  eyeleted  rods ;  also,  of  my  inter- 
est in  a  gentleman  that  rolls  his  own  smokes  on  a 
Moule  a  Cigarettes  and  gambles  in  Continental  Zinc." 

Valeska  shook  her  head,  puzzled. 

"You  heard  what  Calendon  said,  of  course?" 

"Yes,  I  was  in  the  cabinet  all  the  time.  But  of 
course  I  haven't  studied  your  evidence  yet." 

"Nor  shall  you  this  night,  by  Rameses!  A  crystal- 
gazer  has  to  make  his  living  on  the  curiosity  of  women. 
Kindly  let  me  enjoy  your  curiosity  this  evening;  and, 
that  you  may  not  be  a  loser,  I  shall  explain  to  you  the 
fallacies  in  Doctor  Lasker's  analysis  of  the  Ruy  Lopez 
opening.  Meanwhile,  let  us  try  some  of  that  new 
Assyrian  jelly  which  I  sent  for  so  long  ago.  If  you 
wish  to  add  anything  more  substantial,  I  won't  object, 
although  I  am  a  vegetarian,  a  Mahatma,  an  astrologer,  a 
cabalist,  a  student  of  Higher  Space,  and  a  thorough 
believer  in  the  doctrine  that  an  ounce  of  mystery  is 
worth  a  pound  of  commonplace.  Selah.  I  have 
spoken." 

During  the  meal,  no  one  would  have  supposed  by 
his  animation  that  the  occult  Seer  was  confronted  by 
the  most  difficult  problem  his  profession  had  ever  set 
before  him.  He  joked  like  a  young  boy.  His  pretty 
assistant  was  kept  in  rippling  peals  of  laughter.  After 
dinner  he  produced  a  chess-board  with  ivory  men,  and 
the  girl  puzzled  with  him  over  innumerable  variations 
of  his  favorite  opening.  They  followed  this  by  some 
of  the  regular  chess  problems,  ending  with  several  of 
his  own.  The  last,  finally,  being  too  difficult,  he  left 


136       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

unfinished,  sent  Valeska  home  in  his  motor-car,  and 
himself  went  to  bed. 


The  next  morning  Astro  looked,  the  first  thing,  at 
The  Era  personals.  Calendon's  advertisement  read 
as  follows: 

ERUS :  '97  Otog  Lliwcirt  celen  atil  opom  S.  O.  C. 

"I  think,"  he  said  thoughtfully,  "that  it  will  hardly 
be  dishonorable  for  me  to  plunge  in  Cosmopolitan 
Electric,  so  long  as  I'm  not  going  to  let  Mr.  Calendon 
pay  me  for  this  affair.  Let's  see.  Sold  yesterday  at 
75.  If  I  can  get  it  at  five  points  margin,  an  investment 
of  one  thousand  dollars  will  bring  me  in  about  eight 
hundred.  I'll  be  able  to  get  that  Coptic  manuscript  I 
have  been  wanting  so  long.  Now  for  Mr.  Calendon !" 

He  took  his  telephone,  and  was  soon  in  communica- 
tion with  his  client.  "What  have  you  found  out?"  he 
asked. 

"Twelve  persons  bought  Continental  Zinc,"  was  the 
answer.  "Of  these,  seven  were  legitimate  investors. 
I  have  the  names  of  the  other  five." 

"Very  good.  Send  your  chief  of  detectives  up  to 
me  in  a  hurry.  There  are  some  investigations  they 
can  make  while  I'm  at  work  on  a  more  important 
aspect  of  the  case." 

"Have  you  found  out  anything?"  came  the  anxious 
inquiry. 

"I  am  on  the  track.  Have  courage,  and  follow  in- 
structions. Tell  Mrs.  Calendon  that  she  will  not  be 
disappointed  in  my  work." 

After  Astro's  routine  work  that  day,  Valeska  came 


THE    CALENDON    KIDNAPING   CASE     137 

into  the  studio,  unable  any  longer  to  control  her  curi- 
osity. 

Astro  drew  out  the  evidence  in  the  case  and  spread 
it  before  her.  "All  life  is  made  up  of  trivial  actions," 
he  began.  "Every  one  of  them  leaves  its  little  trace. 
Whether  you  are  tracking  a  bear  by  its  footprints 
through  the  forest,  or  a  criminal  through  his  nefarious 
deeds,  it  is  the  same  thing.  Both  leave  their  spoor 
behind.  Now  examine  this  letter  and  envelope  care- 
fully." 

Valeska  took  the  magnifying-glass  and  scrutinized 
both ;  but  was  forced  to  acknowledge  her  defeat. 

Astro  took  the  envelope  from  her  and  tilted  it  to 
the  light.  "Do  you  see  a  slight  mark  there  ?"  he  asked. 
"It  is  the  print  of  a  thumb.  It  is  not  generally  known 
that  a  finger  pressed  on  paper  will  leave  an  invisible 
oily  impression,  especially  when  the  hand  has  recently 
been  passed  through  the  hair.  So  it  will  on  glass  or  any 
polished  surface.  Let  us  develop  this  print.  The  ink 
will  cling  to  the  paper  except  where  these  oily  lines 
have  been  in  contact  with  it.  An  ordinary  thumb 
print  would  show  the  lines  of  the  ridges ;  this  will  show 
those  of  the  channels  between  the  ridges." 

Dipping  a  large  brush  in  ink,  he  swept  it  lightly 
over  the  paper.  The  ink  flowed  away  from  a  patch 
where  a  little  system  of  concentric  lines  appeared. 

"Lo !  the  invaded  loop !"  he  announced.  "It  is  a 
woman's  thumb.  I  saw  it  yesterday,  and  copied  its 
.fundamental  diagram  and  its  core.  Now  look  at  the 
mucilage  on  the  flap.  Do  you  see  those  tiny  grains? 
Snuff,  as  I  proved  by  my  microscope.  The  postage- 
stamp  is  awry,  and  half  off,  and  also  shows  tiny  traces 
of  snuff.  The  woman  was  in  a  hurry.  The  corners 


138       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

of  her  mouth  were  stained  with  the  result  of  her  filthy 
practise.  Now  for  the  paper  surrounding  the  toe.  Let 
me  smooth  it  out.  Do  you  see  the  foldings  and  in- 
dentations that  were  there  before  it  was  used  for  this 
purpose?  The  marks  are  unmistakable,  and  by  their 
geometric  extension,  to  any  one  who  has  studied  ste- 
reotomy  and  the  development  of  surfaces,  it  shows 
unmistakably  what  that  object  was.  See, — the  parallel 
lines,  a  twisted  rumpled  area,  and  here  the  traces  of 
the  milling  of  a  small  wheel.  A  small  cigarette  machine, 
such  as  one  buys  on  the  Rue  de  la  Paix,  in  Paris.  This 
is  a  long  shot,  to  be  sure,  but  sometimes  it  is  the  long- 
shot  that  brings  down  the  eagle.  If  I  hit  the  mark  this 
time,  I  shall  never  be  afraid  of  making  a  risky  guess 
again.  We  shall  see." 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  bell.  Valeska  left  him, 
to  introduce  a  neat  and  dapper  young  man,  who  en- 
tered, with  a  self-satisfied  smile,  with  the  report  from 
the  detective  offices  of  Nally  &  Co. 

The  five  purchasers  of  Continental  Zinc  bought  from 
the  curb  market  had  been  traced  with  some  difficulty. 
A  man  had  been  assigned  to  each  buyer,  and  these  had 
followed  the  instructions  given  Nally  that  morning. 

Abraham  Kraser,  retired  Jewish  merchant ;  the  pur- 
chaser of  twenty  shares ;  smoked  thick  black  cigars. 

H.  V.  Linwood,  a  young  club-man  and  society  favor- 
ite; insisted  on  a  special  brand  of  Russian  cigarettes, 
costing  four  dollars  a  hundred. 

William  Bartlett  Smith,  a  Westerner  staying  at  the 
Waldorf-Astoria;  smoked  a  French  brier  pipe  with 
granulated  tobacco. 

Lambert  F.  Owens,  a  race-track  bookie,  living  in 
South  Orange,  New  Jersey;  could  not  be  traced,  but 


THE   CALENDON    KIDNAPING   CASE     139 

information  in  regard  to  him  was  momentarily  ex- 
pected. 

"The  fifth  man,  Paul  Stacey,  I  saw  myself,"  said  the 
detective.  "I  acted  as  a  newspaper  reporter.  He's 
fairly  well-known  on  the  Street;  but  yet  I  could  find 
out  little  about  him.  Nobody  knew  much;  but  what 
they  did  let  out  was  not  very  favorable.  But  I  talked 
to  him,  and  he  smokes  incessantly.  Rolls  his  own  cigar- 
ettes with  a  little  nickel-plated  machine.  Keeps  Turk- 
ish tobacco  loose  in  his  right-hand  coat  pocket,  the  in- 
strument in  his  left.  While  I  was  near  him  he  threw 
away  a  stub,  and  I  brought  it  to  show  you.  Here  it  is." 

"Very  good,"  said  Astro,  squinting  at  the  cigarette 
butt.  "You  needn't  bother  about  Owens.  Now  I 
want  you  to  shadow  this  man  Stacey  wherever  he  goes. 
Use  as  many  men  for  relays  as  you  think  necessary; 
but  don't  let  him  give  you  the  slip,  as  you  value  your 
reputation.  You  understand  the  importance  of  this, 
and  how  fast  we  must  work  if  the  boy  is  to  be  saved." 

As  the  young  man  left,  Astro  picked  up  the  evening 
paper  and  turned  to  the  reports  of  the  stock  market. 
His  eyes  ran  down  the  column  of  figures  swiftly,  until 
he  came  to  the  line : 

2000    Cosmopolitan   Electric 75  7°  72  ~3 

"Rameses  the  Great!"  he  ejaculated.  "That  will 
teach  me  a  lesson  not  to  take  advantage  of  my  inside 
information.  My  margin's  wiped  out  already.  Pity 
I  didn't  stay  with  my  good  intentions !  And  I  an  As- 
trologer of  the  Fourth  Circle!  I  hope  nobody  will 
find  that  out.  Valeska,  whatever  you  do,  don't  gam- 
ble." For  a  moment  he  stood  contemplating  the  sheet 


140       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

before  him,  and  then  he  turned  to  her  with  a  strange 
expression. 

"Mercy!"  he  cried,  "I  forgot.  Calendon's  tip  has 
gone  wrong  again!  What  will  happen  next?  It's 
horrible !" 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  long  ring  at  the  electric 
bell,  and,  when  Valeska  answered  it,  Calendon  plunged 
into  the  room,  holding  a  package  in  one  hand.  The 
muscles  of  his  hand  were  twitching  in  a  frenzy  of 
agony. 

"It's  come  again,  oh  God !"  he  cried.  "My  poor  boy ! 
What  in  heaven's  name  can  we  do  ?"  He  went  up  to 
the  palmist  fiercely.  "See  here !  you  promised  me  your 
help !  You  even  gave  me  encouragement !  See  what 
has  happened  already !  How  long  must  this  thing  go 
on?" 

"Have  you  opened  the  package?"  Astro  asked 
quietly. 

Calendon  shuddered.    "No.    I  couldn't!" 

"Leave  it  with  me,  then.  You  must  wait,  Mr. 
Calendon.  I  am  hard  at  work.  I  am  certain  to  suc- 
ceed. Already  I  have  the  man ;  but  it  is  necessary  to 
prove  it.  One  can't  use  a  crystal  vision  as  evidence  in 
a  court  of  law,  you  know." 

"Who  is  the  scoundrel?"  Calendon  demanded.  "By 
heaven!  I'll  tear  him  limb  from  limb!  I'll  kill  him! 
I'll—" 

Astro  put  a  restraining  hand  on  the  director's  arm. 
"Calm  yourself,  Mr.  Calendon,"  he  said  soothingly. 
"It  is  not  by  such  means  that  we'll  get  the  boy.  In 
your  present  frame  of  mind  I  dare  not  trust  you  with 
the  man's  name.  If  you  make  a  move  now,  you  may 
jeopardize  your  boy's  life.  He  must  on  no  account 


THE   CALENDON   KIDNAPING  CASE     141 

know  that  he  is  suspected.  No,  play  tfie  game,  Mr. 
Calendon,  according  to  the  rules  the  kidnapers  have 
prescribed,  and  I'll  guarantee  that  soon  they'll  be  play- 
ing it  according  to  your  own  ideas  of  justice.  Get 
your  tip  and  advertise  as  usual.  You  will  no  doubt 
have  better  luck  to-morrow." 

"To-morrow,"  said  Calendon  sadly,  "I'm  going  to 
throw  all  my  holdings  in  the  Fountainet  Company 
into  the  market  and  bear  the  stock  long  enough  for 
these  devils  to  get  their  shameful  profits.  I  can't  bear 
to  receive  another  package.  It  will  mean  ruin  for  me ; 
but  I'll  not  care,  if  the  boy  is  safe." 


It  was  fortunate  for  Astro  that  at  that  time  he  was 
also  interested  in  the  astonishing  burglaries  at  Glebe 
House;  for  it  filled  in  a  tedious  forty-eight  hours  of 
waiting  with  considerable  excitement.  Valeska  could 
see  that  the  Master  was  profoundly  interested  in  the 
fate  of  the  young  boy,  and  that  it  had  enlisted  all  his 
deepest  sympathies.  What  little  leisure  they  had  was 
occupied  with  a  set  of  chess  problems  which  Astro 
was  working  out  for  relaxation. 

It  was  a  great  relief,  therefore,  when  the  young  de- 
tective from  Nally's  put  in  his  appearance  two  days 
later,  and  made  his  report. 

"We've  been  hot  on  Stacey's  trail  ever  since  I  left 
you ;  but  with  nothing  doing  of  any  importance  what- 
ever until  late  yesterday  afternoon.  Then  he  took 
a  train  to  Antwerp,  New  Jersey.  He  was  met  at  the 
station  by  a  carryall  containing  two  women.  He  rode 
about  for  an  hour  with  them,  not  stopping  anywhere 
at  all,  and  was  driven  back  to  the  station,  and  took  the 


142       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

six-twelve  back  to  New  York,  and  went  direct  to  his 
rooms  at  the  Beau  Rivage  apartments." 

"He  saw  no  one  else?  Not  even  a  man  in  black, 
with  a  black  tie?" 

"Absolutely  no  one." 

"And  who  are  the  women  ?" 

"One  is  a  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cutter,  widow,  lives  in  a 
small  house  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village;  the  other, 
a  Miss  Easting,  lives  a  mile  away.  Both  live  alone." 

"Did  you  get  into  either  house?" 

"I  tried  to,  but  couldn't  make  it.  They  seemed  to  be 
very  suspicious  of  strangers.  Miss  Easting  turned 
the  dog  on  me." 

"Did  you  notice  that  either  of  these  women  took 
snuff?" 

"One  of  them  looked  it.  She  was  sallow,  and 
seemed  to  have  smears  of  brown  in  the  corners  of  her 
mouth." 

"Which  one  was  it?" 

"Mrs.  Cutter." 

"Very  good.  That  is  all.  Thank  you  for  what 
you've  done.  Good  day." 

In  a  flash  Astro  had  sprung  to  a  messenger  call  on 
the  wall  and  pressed  down  the  handle.  Then  he 
scribbled  a  message  on  a  telegraph  blank  and  handed 
it  to  Valeska.  It  read  as  follows : 

"Come  immediately  to  the  Beau  Rivage.     Im- 
portant. P.  S." 

"Give  that  to  the  boy  when  he  comes.  Where's  my 
revolver?  Good!  Telephone  immediately  to  Calen- 
don  to  take  the  next  train  for  Antwerp,  and  meet  me 
at  the  station.  I  don't  want  to  miss  it."  He  threw 


THE   CALENDON   KIDNAPING  CASE     143 

himself  into  a  heavy  overcoat,  slipped  the  revolver  into 
a  pocket,  jammed  on  his  hat,  and  was  off  before  Va- 
leska  could  question. 

She  waited  in  the  studio,  however,  so  absorbed  had 
she  become  in  the  mystery,  so  much  she  feared  that, 
when  Astro  did  return,  it  would  be  with  some  dread- 
ful news. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  a  telegraph  boy  ar- 
rived with  a  message  for  her.  Eagerly  she  tore  it 
open.  It  read : 

"Problem  294 :  White  knight  to  king's  fourth ; 
black  rook  to  queen's  bishop's  third:  white  king's 
fook's  pawn  to  seventh,  check;  black  queen's 
bishop  to  king's  knight's  third,  mate.  Please  file. 

A." 

Valeska  was  never  more  exasperated  in  her  life. 
Only  the  solution  to  a  knotty  chess  problem ! 


When  Calendon  alighted  on  the  platform  at  Ant- 
werp, at  eight  o'clock  that  evening,  he  was  met  in  the 
shade  of  the  station  by  Astro  and  a  burly  local  con- 
stable. 

"Plenty  of  time  and  a  clear  field,  I  think,"  said 
Astro,  his  eyes  dancing  with  the  anticipation  of  peril 
imminent ;  "and  unless  I'm  very  much  mistaken  in  my 
understanding,  Mr.  Calendon,  I'll  have  some  pleasant 
news  for  you  before  long." 

"I  hope  to  heaven  you  will !"  said  the  old  man.  "I 
can't  stand  this  much  longer.  I've  sent  Mrs.  Calen- 
don to  the  hospital.  Her  nerves  have  quite  given  away 
under  the  strain.  I  only  hope  that  if  we  get  the  boy 


144        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

we'll  find  the  dastard  who  stole  him  as  well  1"  His 
look  was  grim. 

"I  am  afraid  you  won't  get  that  opportunity,  how- 
ever/' said  the  mystic,  drawing  out  his  watch  and 
pausing  to  inspect  it  under  a  gas  lamp.  "Mr.  Stacey 
was  born  under  an  evil  planet  and  in  an  evil  House  of 
the  Heavens.  At  the  present  moment  he  is  under  ar- 
rest in  the  Beau  Rivage  apartments.  One  of  his  ac- 
complices has  just  left  here  for  New  York,  where  she 
will  be  met  by  the  police.  Another  will  soon  be  taken. 
I  have  been  waiting  for  one  more  of  the  gang  who  is 
engaged  in  a  shady  business  hereabouts.  We  need 
only  him  to  solve  the  last  shreds  of  mystery  in  this 
affair.  I've  already  seen  him  in  my  crystals,  dressed 
in  black.  It  remains  to  find  him  on  the  material  plane." 

They  walked  rapidly  through  the  outskirts  of  the  vil- 
lage, past  a  stretch  of  open  country. 

Calendon,  nervously  excited,  spoke  only  once,  to 
say,  "There  must  have  been  some  change  of  affairs, 
Astro ;  for  so  far  as  I  can  find  the  gang  didn't  speculate 
to-day  in  the  stocks  I  tipped  off  in  The  Era.  I  had  a 
circle  of  my  friends  attempting  to  influence  the  mar- 
ket ;  but  it  got  away  from  them  altogether.  We  simply 
couldn't  sell  enough  to  make  any  effect.  The  Foun- 
tainet  Company  common  stock  jumped  seven  points, 
when  I  sold  out,  and  I'm  about  fifty  thousand  ahead  of 
the  game.  If  my  son  is  restored  to  me,  I'll  have  good 
cause  to  be  happy  to-night."  He  relapsed  into  silence. 

They  were  now  approaching  a  lonely  house,  back 
from  the  road,  and  in  utter  darkness.  Astro  strode  up 
to  the  front  door  and  knocked.  There  was  no  response. 
The  constable  unlocked  the  door  with  a  skeleton  key, 
and  all  three  men  entered.  A  lighted  kerosene  lamp 


THE   CALENDON   KIDNAPING   CASE     145 

was  found  in  the  kitchen.  Hardly  had  it  been  brought 
into  the  front  room  when  Calendon  stooped  and 
picked  up  a  child's  shirt. 

"It's  my  son's,  I'm  sure!"  he  exclaimed  in  excite- 
ment. "Harold !  Harold !"  he  cried  aloud,  and  began 
a  hasty  search  through  the  rooms.  He  was  followed 
by  Astro  and  the  constable;  but,  after  a  thorough  in- 
spection, no  living  thing  was  found  except  a  canary, 
which,  awakened  by  the  disturbance,  warbled  shrilly  in 
the  sitting-room. 

The  constable  threw  open  the  cellar  door,  and  taking 
the  lamp,  stumbled  down  the  narrow  steps. 

In  another  moment  there  came  a  stifled  exclamation 
from  below.  Calendon  dashed  down  in  terror. 

Suddenly,  up-stairs,  where  Astro  had  momentarily 
remained,  there  was  heard  the  sound  of  footsteps. 
Then  a  gruff  voice  broke  out : 

"I've  got  you  fellers  now !  I've  tracked  you  for  five 
days,  and  now,  by  hickey,  I'll  make  you  pay  for  it! 
You'll  never  snatch  another  body,  curse  you !" 

There  was  a  shuffling  of  feet,  and  Astro's  voice  rang 
steadily:  "Throw  up  your  hands  and  drop  that  gun! 
You're  a  pretty  character  to  call  names !  I  think  you'll 
show  up  well  when  you're  investigated!  Constable 
Jenkins,  come  up  here!"  He  kicked  loudly  on  the 
floor. 

"By  Jove !  It's  the  coroner !"  said  the  constable,  ap- 
pearing in  the  doorway. 

"Is  there  a  body  here  ?"  the  coroner  inquired. 

"Yes — why?"  Now  Calendon  appeared,  most  puz- 
zled and  alarmed  of  all. 

"It's  all  right,  Mr.  Calendon,  we're  on  their  trail 
now!"  said  Astro, 


146       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

Calendon  groaned. 

"Your  boy  is  safe  and  unmutilated.  I  have  sus- 
pected this  a  long  time,  but  I  didn't  dare  let  you  hope. 
Now,  Coroner,  tell  your  story." 

"Why,"  he  began,  turning  shamefacedly  to  the  con- 
stable, "it's  this  way,  Jim.  I  was  comin'  along  the 
road  last  Friday  with  my  outfit  an'  three  of  them  poor- 
house  folks'  bodies,  y'know,  an'  blamed  if  the  hind 
axle  didn't  break  short  off  about  a  mile  up  back  o' 
here.  I  had  to  walk  clean  back  to  Joe  Miller's  house 
for  a  scantlin'  to  prop  up  the  axle  with,  an'  I  was  gone 
about  three-quarters  of  an  hour.  When  I  come  back 
I  see  one  of  the  coffins  was  gone, — the  little  one, — a 
boy  it  was.  An'  I  see  the  axle  had  been  sawed  half 
through  with  a  hack  saw.  Somebody  had  laid  for 
me  just  to  steal  that — " 

"And  will  you  please  explain,"  said  Astro  suavely, 
"why  you  were  burying  these  bodies,  for  which  you 
are  paid  by  the  township,  at  night  ?" 

The  coroner's  face  fell.  "Oh,  I  was  too  busy  day 
times,"  he  said  lamely. 

"I  think  it  had  best  be  looked  into,  Constable.  I 
can  see  where  our  friend  the  coroner  makes  a  very 
pretty  little  income  from  the  medical  students,  and 
does  the  town  out  of  a  few  burials  occasionally.  But 
we  must  go  on,  Mr.  Calendon.  I  had  hoped  that  the 
boy  was  here.  We  must  hurry  to  the  other  house.  It's 
a  mile  away.  We'll  take  your  rig,  Coroner,  while  you 
attend  to  the  remains  in  the  cellar." 

The  three  men  hurried  outdoors,  and  the  constable 
drove  at  breakneck  pace  to  Miss  Easting's  house.  Ar- 
rived there,  they  knocked  loudly,  and,  there  being  no 
immediate  answer,  the  constable  entered. 


THE   CALENDON    KIDNAPING  CASE     147 

Calendon  followed  close  behind.  "Harold!  Har- 
old r  he  called  loudly. 

There  was  no  reply;  but  a  door  slammed  up-stairs, 
and  a  pattering  of  feet  was  heard.  Calendon  fairly 
floundered  up  and  threw  open  the  door.  There  was 
still  no  one  in  sight ;  but  a  tumbled  bed  showed  where 
some  one  had  lain.  A  boy's  clothes  were  scattered 
about  the  room,  a  few  playthings  were  on  the  floor. 

Astro,  who  had  followed  on  the  father's  heels,  made 
directly  for  a  closed  door  and  wrenched  it  open.  There 
sat  a  little  boy  in  his  red  flannel  nightgown,  caressing 
a  large  glass  jar  of  jam.  His  round  chubby  cheeks 
were  stained  with  strawberry. 

Then,  before  his  father  could  reach  for  him  in  ex- 
ultation, the  child  exclaimed  joyfully,  "I  don't  care. 
I  liked  it,  and  I  tooked  it,  and  I  eated  it,  and  I  don't 
care!  I  don't!" 

And,  after  the  frightful  strain  that  had  been  on  the 
three  men  who  gazed  down  at  the  boy,  they  all  broke 
into  a  hearty  laugh. 

It  was  Harold  Calendon,  and  he  was  perfectly 
happy.  But  there  were  several  others  there  who  were 
happy,  too. 


MISS  DALRYMPLE'S  LOCKET 

,  dear,  she's  come  to  see  you  again!"  said 
Valeska,  making  a  very  pretty  picture  as  she 
stood  in  the  doorway,  framed  by  the  black  velvet  por- 
tieres. 

Astro  the  Seer  followed  his  first  indulgent  look  by 
a  second  questioning,  curious  glance.  "Who  is  it?" 

She  put  her  head  on  one  side  and  looked  at  him 
coquettishly.  "A  lady,"  she  said,  tossing  her  head 
archly,  "whom,  among  all  your  fashionable  clients,  I 
believe  you  consider  the  most  charming,  most  de- 
licious, the  prettiest,  the  sweetest,  the  most — " 

Astro  laughed  and  nodded.    "Miss  Dalrymple?" 

"The  same.  She  was  here  only  last  week.  It  is 
very  suspicious !  Beware !"  She  shook  a  saucy  finger 
at  him  and  disappeared. 

The  young  woman  who  next  entered  assuredly  justi- 
fied Valeska's  adjectives.  Indeed,  many  more  might 
have  been  applied  to  her,  though  the  smile  that  ap- 
peared on  Astro's  own  handsome  face  best  testified  to 
her  witchery.  She  was  scarcely  twenty  years  old,  and 
of  that  dark,  winning,  dimpled,  innocent  type  that  few 
know  how  to  resist.  To  this,  there  was  an  appealing 
look  that  flattered  men's  vanity.  Were  her  brown  eyes 
or  her  delectable  smiling  mouth  the  more  lovely  to  look 
upon?  Astro  himself  could  not  tell.  Was  it  her  easy 

148 


MISS   DALRYMPLE'S   LOCKET         149 

well-bred  grace  or  her  ingenuous,  girlish  candor  that 
most  delighted  him  ?  He  remembered  her  dainty  hands, 
— perhaps  the  most  exquisite  he  had  ever  seen.  Now 
they  were  hidden  in  her  sable  muff.  Her  little  rosy 
face  shone  like  a  flower  under  her  picturesque  veiled 
hat ;  her  figure,  slim  and  charmingly  curved,  was  only 
partly  modified  by  the  smart  lines  of  her  black  cloth 
suit. 

She  looked  at  him  with  big  eyes  and  said,  "Good 
afternoon,  Mr.  Astro.  I  hope  you  haven't  forgotten 
me." 

"Scarcely,"  was  his  reply.    His  tone  was  flattering. 

She  smiled  with  innocent  roguery,  her  eyes  explor- 
ing the  curious  decorations  of  the  great  studio.  She 
sniffed  daintily  at  the  pleasant  smell  of  myrrh  that 
filled  the  air  as  she  took  the  seat  he  offered  her. 

"I  have  come  for  help,"  she  said.  "I'm  awfully  puz- 
zled about  something,  and  you  told  me  such  wonder- 
ful things  last  time  I  came,  that  I  thought  I'd  ask  you." 
She  showed  a  line  of  snow-white  little  teeth. 

The  Master  rested  his  head  negligently  on  one 
slender  hand,  and  nodded  gravely. 

"It's  about  a  locket,"  she  continued. 

"Ah!  You  have  lost  one?" 

"No,  not  at  all.    I  have  found  one !" 

AvStro  raised  his  eyebrows. 

"Oh,  you're  partly  right,  too ;  for  it  was  lost  a  long 
time  ago,  and  I  have  just  got  it  back  in  a  rather  re- 
markable way.  You  see,  it  used  to  belong  to  my 
mother.  She  died  last  year.  I  returned  only  in  time 
to  see  her  for  two  hours  before  the  end." 

"When  did  you  see  this  locket  last?" 

"Long  before  mother  died.     It  disappeared  myste- 


150       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

riously  when  I  was  abroad.  Only  yesterday  it  was  re- 
turned to  me  by  mail,  addressed  to  me  at  my  house  in 
Yonkers,  in  a  handwriting  that  I  can't  recognize." 

"Well,  I  don't  see  what  you  are  troubled  about,  then, 
if  you  have  got  it  back." 

Miss  Dalrymple  looked  thoughtfully  at  him  for  a 
moment,  her  cheek  resting  on  her  white-gloved  hand, 
as  if  not  quite  sure  how  to  express  what  she  meant. 
Finally  she  said  impulsively,  "Well,  it's  something  so 
vague  and  silly  it  seems  absurd  to  speak  to  you  about 
it.  But  Fanny  and  I  have  been  talking  it  over  and 
wondering  where  it  came  from,  and  everything,  and  we 
both  have  a  sort  of  queer  feeling  that  it  has  something 
to  do,  perhaps,  with  a  certain  letter  my  mother  once 
had." 

"Wait  a  moment.    Who  is  Fanny?" 

"Oh,  she's  my  maid — and  she's  a  treasure.  Indeed, 
she  is  more  like  a  friend  to  me  than  a  maid." 

"How  long  have  you  had  her  ?" 

"Oh,  ever  since  mother  died." 

The  Seer  frowned  slightly.  "Go  on, — about  the  let- 
ter." 

"You've  heard  about  my  father's  will,  and  the  law- 
suit, haven't  you?  The  papers  haye  had  a  lot  about 
it." 

"Oh,  yes,  the  Dalrymple  will  case.  Let's  see — your 
father  was  divorced  from  your  mother,  wasn't  he?" 

"Yes;  but  he  wasn't  at  all  happy  with  the  woman 
he  married  afterward — she's  a  vixen — and  he  always 
regretted  that  he  had  left  my  mother.  This  Mrs.  Dal- 
rymple is  contesting  the  will  that  father  made  in  favor 
of  my  mother.  She  isn't  satisfied  with  her  widow's 
third." 


MISS   DALRYMPLE'S   LOCKET         151 

"And,  by  that  will,  you  are  the  legal  heir  to  the 
rest  of  the  estate?" 

"Of  course.  But  the  other  side  has  claimed  that  it 
was  a  forgery,  and,  as  he  left  all  his  property  to  his 
divorced  wife,  they  have  a  fair  case,  unless  we  can 
prove  that  the  will  was  genuine.  Unfortunately, 
though  the  will  is  in  our  possession,  having  been  given 
to  mother,  both  the  witnesses  to  it  are  dead." 

"I  see,"  said  Astro,  "and  the  letter  you  mentioned  ?" 

"Was  from  my  father  to  my  mother,  telling  her  that 
he  had  left  her  all  his  property.  You  see  how  im- 
portant it  would  be  to  our  case ;  but  I  haven't  been  able 
to  find  it  anywhere." 

"Yes,  but  how  does  the  locket  come  into  it?" 

"That's  what  I  don't  know  myself.  That's  why  I 
came  to  you,"  Miss  Dalrymple  exclaimed  eagerly.  "I 
can't  describe  why,  but  I  do  feel  that  the  locket  has 
something  to  do  with  it ;  for  my  mother  was  delirious 
just  before  she  died,  and  talked  about  the  letter  and 
the  locket.  She  kept  saying  that  she  had  been  robbed 
— or  perhaps  she  only  feared  it.  Then  the  locket  was 
restored  so  providentially,  just  in  time;  for  the  case  is 
to  come  to  court  next  week.  Then  I  remember  that 
before  I  went  away  mother  was  very  careful  of  it,  and 
kept  it  locked  up." 

"Let  me  see  it,"  said  the  Master  of  Mysteries. 

She  unbuttoned  her  coat  and  took  it  from  a  gold 
chain  about  her  neck, — a  small  oval  gold  locket  such 
as  was  commonly  worn  in  the  sixties.  The  cover,  being 
opened,  disclosed  a  small  photograph  of  a  beautiful 
woman  in  an  old-fashioned  round  bonnet  with  roses 
framing  the  calm  serious  face. 

Astro  inspected  it  admiringly. 


152        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"That's  my  mother,"  said  Miss  Dalrymple,  looking 
over  his  shoulder. 

"It  is  hardly  necessary  to  explain  that.  I  see  now 
where  you  get  your  beauty."  With  a  deft  movement  of 
his  thumb  nail,  Astro  opened  the  inner  rim  and  re- 
moved the  photograph.  The  back  of  the  paper  was 
covered  with  Greek  letters  written  microscopically  in 
ink,  as  follows: 


QJU   JULtp 

"Oh  !"  the  girl  cried  excitedly,  "I  knew  it  !  I  knew 
there  was  something  to  be  found  out  !  It's  Greek,  isn't 
it  ?  Oh,  I  hope  you  read  Greek  !  Do  you  ?" 

Astro  smiled.  "I  read  Greek  as  well  as  I  do  Eng- 
lish; but  this,  unfortunately,  isn't  Greek  at  all." 

"Why,  isn't  it  ?  I  know  some  of  the  letters  myself. 
Look  there  —  isn't  that  a  Delta,  and  that  Alpha  and 
Pi?" 

"Yes,  the  letters  are  Greek  characters,  but  they  are 
not  Greek  words.  It's  a  cipher,  Miss  Dalrymple." 

The  girl's  face  fell.  "Oh  !"  she  breathed.  In  her 
excitement  she  was  almost  leaning  on  his  shoulder. 
She  clasped  his  arm  unconsciously  as  she  added, 
"Surely  you  can  read  it?  You  have  solved  so  many 
mysteries;  you  have  such  wonderful  occult  power! 
I've  heard  that  any  cipher  ever  invented  could  be 
solved." 

"And  so  it  can.  I  have  solved  harder  ones  than  this, 
I'm  sure.  Yes,  your  locket  is  certainly  getting  inter- 
esting. I'm  sorry  that  I  am  too  busy  now  to  work  on 


I  knew  there  was   something  to  be   found  out !  "     "  It's  Greek, 
isn't  it?" 


MISS   DALRYMPLE'S   LOCKET         153 

it,  though.  I  have  several  appointments  that  can't  be 
postponed.  Suppose  I  wire  you  as  soon  as  I  have  read 
it.  Or,  better,  I'll  send  you  the  solution  direct  by  a 
messenger." 

"All  right.  I'll  be  dying  of  impatience ;  so  I  hope 
you'll  hurry." 

"I'll  promise  it  some  time  to-morrow.  But  another 
question:  Did  your  mother  read  Greek?" 

"Oh,  yes,  she  had  a  magnificent  education." 

"And  how  about  the  second  Mrs.  Dalrymple?" 

The  girl's  lips  curled.  "I  should  say  not!  Why, 
she  was  an  ordinary  chorus  girl  when  father  married 
her!" 

"Well,"  said  the  Seer,  rising  to  assume  a  poetic  atti- 
tude, "I  shall  consult  my  crystals  and  see  what  I  can 
find  out.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  though,  the  will  will 
be  probated  and  you  will  come  into  your  inheritance. 
And  I  shall  be  the  first  to  congratulate  you !" 

After  a  quick  friendly  hand-shake,  like  a  boy's,  Miss 
Dalrymple  walked  gracefully  out  of  the  room. 

As  soon  as  she  had  left,  Astro  called  his  assistant 
and  showed  her  the  cipher.  Valeska  pored  over  it 
without  speaking  for  some  time.  Finally  she  sighed 
and  said  pathetically,  "What  a  pity  I  don't  know 
Greek!" 

"Cheer  up!"  said  the  Master,  with  a  whimsical 
grimace.  "You  probably  know  as  much  about  it  as 
the  one  who  composed  this  childish  little  cryptogram 
did.  It  has  the  mark  of  the  tyro  upon  it." 

"Why!  how  could  you  tell  that?" 

"Suppose  a  Fiji  Islander  attempted  to  copy  a  lot  of 
English — that  is,  the  so-called  Latin  alphabet. 


154       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

Wouldn't  you  be  able  to  tell  instantly  that  he  was  ig- 
norant of  the  English  language?  It's  the  same  here. 
Any  one  who  is  used  to  writing  Greek  would  form 
the  letters  easily  and  swiftly;  would  write,  in  short, 
a  pure  cursive  hand.  These  Greek  letters  here  are  all 
laboriously  copied  from  some  school-book  or  diction- 
ary." 

"Well,  who  wrote  it?" 

"My  dear  Valeska,"  said  Astro  soberly,  "the  in- 
finitesimal vibrations  from  this  locket  will,  if  I  absorb 
myself  in  contemplation,  set  up  sympathetic  waves  in 
my  own  aura.  I  am  not  yet  ready  to  go  into  a  psychic 
trance.  Let  us  first  read  the  message.  It  is  ridicu- 
lously simple.  I  will  first  separate  the  message  into 
words,  for  what  here  appears  to  be  a  set  of  words  is 
merely  letters  run  together  with  a  few  false  spaces 
between  them  in  order  to  baffle  the  first  glance. 

He  took  a  pad  of  paper  and  wrote  out  the  following 
in  Greek  characters  : 


Ae   yapQev, 
pose  (3wx.t  Ae  jrAur 
Ae 


When  he  had  finished  he  looked  up  at  her.  "You 
surely  know  the  Greek  alphabet,  at  least?" 

"Of  course  I  know  that  much.  We  used  to  use  it  in 
boarding-school  to  write  secret  messages  in.  What 
girl  that's  ever  had  a  'frat'  boy  for  a  beau  doesn't  know 
the  Greek  alphabet?" 

"Then  this  should  read  easily.  Kindly  write  it  out, 
letter  for  letter." 


MISS    DALRYMPLE'S   LOCKET         155 
Valeska  studied  a  minute,  and  then  scribbled  out : 

Dans  le  garden  au  dessous  le  rose  buck  le  plus  near 
le  pommier. 

"Partly  in  English',  partly  in  French,  you  see/'  said 
Astro.  "One  word,  'buch',  looks  like  German,  but  it's 
not :  'In  the  garden  under  the  rose  bush  nearest  to  the 
apple  tree !'  The  Greek  character  Chi  was  the  nearest 
the  writer  could  get  to  the  English  'sh,'  you  see,  and 
note  the  use  of  the  Sigma's,  too.  How  childish  to  con- 
sider this  a  hard  puzzle !" 

"It  is  the  location  of  Mrs.  Dalrymple's  missing  letter, 
I  suppose,"  ventured  Valeska.  "I  suppose  she  was 
afraid  it  would  be  stolen,  and  so  buried  it  there." 

"You  forget,  however,  that,  if  Mrs.  Dalrymple  was 
a  good  Greek  scholar,  she  wouldn't  have  written  this 
so  laboriously." 

Valeska  looked  quickly  up  at  him.  "Could  some  one 
have  found  the  letter  and  buried  it  there  for  his  own 
purpose?" 

"It  is  possible;  but  it  seems  an  unnecessary  thing 
to  do.  The  most  suspicious  thing  about  the  cipher  is 
that  it  is  so  easy." 

"Then  I  give  it  up."    Valeska  shook  her  head  sadly. 

"Don't  give  up,  little  girl.  Simply  keep  your  mind 
on  the  fact  that  there  are  clever  brains  at  work  upon 
this  unsuspecting  young  woman."  He  edged  his  chair 
over  closer  and  tapped  with  his  finger  on  the  table. 
"Look  here!  Who  stole  this  locket  in  the  first  place? 
Why  was  it  stolen  ?  Was  the  person  who  took  it  the 
one  who  returned  it  ?  Or  was  the  person  who  returned 
it  a  friend  of  Miss  Dalrymple's?  If  he  or  she  were, 


156       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

why  should  the  action  be  done  anonymously?  Did 
this  person  know  about  the  cipher?  If  so,  why  leave 
the  cipher  there  where  she  could  find  it  and  dig  up  the 
letter?  Several  things  look  suspicious  to  me.  I  must 
go  over  every  point  and  analyze  it.  We  must,  in  be- 
ginning any  case  of  this  sort,  cast  about  immediately 
and  find  out  who  are  the  actors  in  the  drama,  who  are 
the  ones  who  will  suffer  or  be  benefited  by  this  chain 
of  circumstances. 

"Now,"  he  straightened  up  abruptly,  "we  must  know 
more  about  Miss  Dalrymple's  household.  To-morrow 
morning  you  shall  make  the  trip  to  Yonkers,  ostensibly 
to  return  her  this  locket  with  our  solution  of  the  ci- 
pher, but  actually  to  enable  you  to  inspect  the  house, 
grounds,  servants,  family  history,  and  the  like." 

At  once  Valeska  became  businesslike.  "Anything 
else?" 

"Yes,"  he  said  emphatically.  "Tell  her  that  on  no 
account  whatsoever  is  she  to  dig  beneath  the  rose 
bush  until  she  hears  from  me !  Understand  ?" 


Valeska  returned  next  noon  with  the  information 
that  Miss  Dalrymple  was  in  high  spirits  over  the  solu- 
tion of  the  secret  message. 

"Did  you  tell  her  not  to  dig  up  the  place  until  I 
came?" 

"Yes,  and  she  promised  to  wait." 

"Well,  what  else?" 

Valeska  sniffed.  "I  certainly  do  not  like  that  maid 
of  hers.  I  may  be  only  a  woman  without  any  more 
analytical  brain  than  a  sand-snipe,  but  I  can  tell  a 
sniveling  hypocrite  of  my  own  sex  as  far  as  I  can  see 


MISS    DALRYMPLE'S    LOCKET         157 

her.  There's  too  much  goody-goody  talk  to  suit  me. 
It  was  'Yes,  dear  Miss  Dalrymple,'  and  'Oh,  certainly, 
Miss  Dalrymple/  and,  behind  her  back,  'Isn't  Miss 
Dalrymple  the  sweetest  thing!'  When  I  hear  that 
kind  of  talk,  I  look  out  for  a  cat." 

"You  think  she's  two-faced?" 

"Oh,  she's  a  snake  in  the  grass!  Tall,  lantern- 
jawed,  skinny,  smirking  thing!  As  luck  would  have 
it,  she  caught  the  same  train  back  to  town  that  I  did, — 
or  rather  she  came  down  on  the  trolley-car  just  behind 
mine, — and  I  sat  about  three  seats  behind  her  when  we 
got  the  subway  at  Kingsbridge.  I  thought  I'd  see 
where  she  went.  It  was  an  express,  and  she  got  off 
at  Brooklyn  Bridge.  That's  what  kept  me  so  long. 
I  followed  her  over  to  Brooklyn." 

Astro  started.    "Brooklyn?"  he  ejaculated. 

"Yes."  Valeska  was  evidently  pleased  that  at  last 
she  had  made  some  sort  of  sensation.  "I  shadowed 
her  to  number  1435  Fulton  Avenue,  waited  half  an 
hour,  and,  when  she  didn't  come  out,  hurried  back  to 
report." 

"Well,"  Astro  spoke  with  a  curious  expression,  "did 
you  find  out  who  lives  there?" 

The  girl  was  crestfallen.  "No.  I  entirely  forgot 
that." 

He  threw  it  at  her  pointblank.  "Mrs.  Myra  Dal- 
rymple !" 

For  a  moment  she  could  only  gaze  at  him  in  aston- 
ishment. Then,  "Oh!"  she  cried.  "Oh!"  Her  eyes 
blazed.  "Didn't  I  say  she  was  a  snake?  Why,  then, 
Fanny  is  undoubtedly  in  the  pay  of  the  second  wife ! 
Think  of  it !  She's  been  spying  on  that  sweet  innocent 
girl  ever  since  her  mother  died,  and  has  carried  the 


158       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

news  to  Mrs.  Dalrymple  number  two.  It's  out- 
rageous ! 

"Oh,  but — "  Valeska  sprang  up  in  consternation 
and  faced  her  master  with  a  look  of  horror.  "I  for- 
got !  Why,  I  translated  the  cipher  to  Miss  Dalrymple 
while  the  maid  was  in  the  room !  What  will  happen  ?" 

Astro  took  up  his  water-pipe  with  perfect  equa- 
nimity. "My  dear,  you  seem  to  have  made  several 
very  lucky  blunders  to-day." 

She  put  her  hands  to  her  eyes.  "Oh,  I  don't  under- 
stand !  What  about  this  cipher  message  ?  Where 
did  it  come  from?" 

"Let  us  go  at  it  analytically,"  he  replied  calmly.  "For 
the  sake  of  the  argument,  grant  first  that  the  cipher 
discloses  the  hiding-place  of  the  lost  letter,  secreted 
by  the  first  Mrs.  Dalrymple.  Very  good.  Let  us  sup- 
pose, also,  as  a  second  hypothesis,  that  the  locket  was 
sent  by  the  second  Mrs.  Dalrymple,  knowing  of  the 
cipher.  Very  good  again.  Now  examine  the  two 
theories.  Is  it  likely  that  such  a  person  as  this  second 
wife  would  place  a  rival  claimant  to  the  estate  in  pos- 
session of  the  secret?  No.  Something  is  wrong,  the 
first  hypothesis,  or  the  second.  Take  your  pick.  I  say 
the  first  is  wrong, — the  cipher  does  not  disclose  the 
place  of  the  letter,  but  the  second  is  right :  Mrs.  Dal- 
rymple sent  it.  We  know  that  probably  she  knew  Miss 
Dalrymple  visited  me,  and  believed  in  my  power.  She, 
therefore,  intended  Miss  Dalrymple  to  dig  in  that  spot, 
cleverly  concealing  her  instrumentality  in  the  matter. 
That's  why  the  cipher  was  made  so  absurdly  easy.  Do 
you  think  it  will  be  well  for  Miss  Dalrymple  to  dig 
there?  I  don't." 

He  paused.     "Now  suppose  the  second  hypothesis 


MISS   DALRYMPLE'S    LOCKET         159 

to  be  wrong, — that  Mrs.  Dalrymple  did  not  send  the 
locket.  If  any  one  else  did,  what  reason  could  he  have 
for  making  such  a  mystery  of  it?  It  would  be  ab- 
surd." 

"I  follow  all  that,"  said  Valeska;  "but  I  can't  think 
why  Mrs.  Dalrymple  would  have  any  motive  for  in- 
ducing Miss  Dalrymple  to  dig  in  the  garden." 

"I  think  you  forget  the  second  Mrs.  Dalrymple's 
character.  But  you  can  study  it  out.  What  I  intend 
to  do  is  to  call  on  Mrs.  Dalrymple  this  evening  and 
find  out.  I  have  a  very  good  case  against  her,  I  think, 
and  I  intend  to  make  her  give  up  that  letter,  if  she 
has  it.  Of  course  it  may  have  been  destroyed,  but  I 
don't  quite  believe  it.  It  is  common  for  criminals, 
especially  women,  to  refrain  from  actually  destroying 
the  very  evidence  that  may  convict  them.  From  some 
scruple  or  fear  they  seldom  do  it.  At  any  rate,  I  shall 
frighten  her  with  what  I  suspect  of  her  actions  in  the 
past,  and  use  my  positive  knowledge  of  Fanny's  serv- 
ices." 

"But  what  is  hidden  in  the  garden?  Anything? 
And  if  so,  how  did  it  get  there  ?" 

"Was  there  no  one  besides  Miss  Dalrymple  and 
Fanny  living  in  the  house  ?  No  other  servants  ?" 

Valeska  shook  her  head,  then  reflected  for  an  in- 
stant. "I  did  hear  something  about  a  gardener — "  She 
stopped  and  stared  at  him. 

He  nodded.  "I  think  that  probably  completes  the 
last  link  of  the  chain.  At  any  rate,  I'm  willing  to  risk 
it.  Well,  I'll  go  right  over  to  Brooklyn  and  have  it 
out.  Meet  me  at  the  Grand  Central  Station  to-night 
in  time  for  the  eleven-thirty-six  train  for  Yonkers,  and 
we'll  see  the  whole  thing  through  this  very  night." 


160       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

Valeska's  eyes  danced.   "I'll  be  there,  with  my  own 
little  revolver!   I  hope  it  will  be  exciting!" 


She  was  at  the  station  at  eleven-thirty,  and  waited 
until  the  train  had  pulled  out  without  seeing  the  Mas- 
ter. A  half-hour  and  then  a  full  hour  passed  without 
his  appearance.  She  had  begun  to  be  alarmed  seriously, 
when,  at  a  quarter  past  one,  she  saw  him  walking 
rapidly  across  the  great  waiting-room  toward  her. 
She  gave  an  exclamation  of  relief ;  but  at  once  he  took 
her  arm  and  ran  her  toward  the  subway. 

"Hurry !"  he  cried  in  a  tense  voice.  "We  can't  wait 
for  the  one-thirty;  so  we'll  have  to  make  it  by  the 
subway  and  change  to  the  trolley.  We  have  no  time 
to  lose !  It's  serious !" 

They  caught  the  train  with  less  than  a  minute's 
margin;  and  once  settled  in  the  car,  Valeska  turned 
to  him  anxiously. 

"I  was  a  fool  to  let  Miss  Dalrymple  have  the  transla- 
tion!" he  said.  "It  was  the  only  serious  error  I  have 
made  in  a  year.  I  hope  to  heaven  I  may  save  her  yet ; 
but  it's  a  toss-up  now !" 

"What  is  it?"  Valeska  shouted  above  the  shriek 
of  the  wheels. 

Astro  said  nothing.  Seeing  that  he  was  too  deeply 
moved  to  explain,  she  pressed  him  no  further,  covertly 
watching  his  restless  nervous  gestures  and  his  drawn 
expression  all  through  the  ride  until  the  trolley  slowed 
down  at  Yonkers  and  stopped  on  the  main  street.  A 
solitary  cab  was  standing  beside  the  curb,  its  driver 
dozing  on  the  box. 

A  fat  man  was  waddling  hurriedly  ahead  of  them, 


MISS    DALRYMPLE'S    LOCKET         161 

signaling  with  his  umbrella  to  the  driver;  but  Astra, 
with  a  rough  gesture,  threw  him  aside,  ran  to  the  cab, 
and  pushed  Valeska  quickly  inside. 

"To  Miss  Dalrymple's,  out  on  Broadway,  and  drive 
like  lightning!"  he  ordered.  Then  he  jumped  in  him- 
self, and  slammed  the  door  in  the  face  of  the  enraged 
fat  man  who  was  in  quick  pursuit.  The  cab  drove  off 
at  headlong  speed. 

Still  Valeska  kept  silent;  but  now  she  shared  the 
excitement  of  the  Master,  who  bit  his  knuckles  nerv- 
ously as  the  horse  galloped  along  the  avenue  high 
above  the  river.  All  she  could  hear  besides  the  pound- 
ing of  hoofs  was  the  muttering  of  the  dark  man  by 
her  side.  It  seemed  an  hour's  drive,  so  had  the  sus- 
pense wrought  upon  her, — tree  by  tree,  lamp  by  lamp, 
house  by  house,  they  advanced.  She  was  now  pre- 
pared for  anything, — for  anything  save  what  hap- 
pened. 

At  last  the  carriage  slowed  down  and  came  to  a  stop. 
Before  the  driver  had  a  chance  to  dismount,  Astro  had 
dashed  out  without  paying  the  least  attention  to  his 
assistant.  She  hurried  after  him. 

The  Dalrymple  house  stood  on  the  side  of  the  hill, 
overlooking  the  quiet  moonlit  Hudson.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  wall,  over  the  tops  of  which  showed 
the  thick  limbs  of  a  few  apple  trees.  The  house  loomed 
beyond,  a  brick  edifice  of  two  stories.  The  iron  gate 
in  the  wall  was  locked,  and  Astro  jerked  viciously  at 
the  bell. 

At  this  moment,  as  if  he  himself  had  set  it  off,  a 
loud  explosion  reverberated  through  the  night.  A 
woman's  scream  was  next  heard,  rising  in  a  piercing 
staccato.  Then  all  was  silence  again.  At  length  a 


162       THE*"  MASTER^  OF   MYSTERIES 

shutter  was  thrown  open  at  one  of  the  front  windows 
of  the  house,  and  a  shaft  of  light  made  a  brilliant  path 
through  the  deep  shadow.  A  woman's  head  appeared. 

"What  is  it?"  cried  Valeska  in  terror.  "Is  Miss 
Dalrymple  shot  ?" 

"God  knows!'*  Astro  muttered  grimly.  "Help  me 
over  the  wall.  Give  me  a  foot  up,  Valeska.  We're  too 
late,  as  I  feared;  but  I  must  find  out  what  has  hap- 
pened. Driver,"  he  yelled  back  over  his  shoulder,  "go 
for  a  doctor  as  quick  as  you  can !" 

In  an  instant  he  had  mounted  the  top  of  the  wall 
and  dropped  to  the  other  side.  Valeska  heard  his  foot- 
steps running  up  the  gravel  walk.  After  that  she 
waited  some  time  in  silence.  The  cab  had  driven  off 
with  a  clatter. 

When,  after  a  wait  that  seemed  interminable,  As- 
tro returned,  Valeska's  eyes  stared  to  see  him  with 
Miss  Dalrymple,  who  was  apparently  unharmed.  She 
wore  a  long  mackintosh  cape,  covering  her  night 
dress,  and  her  hair  was  disordered.  A  look  of 
horror  on  her  pretty  face  made  her  seem  a  woman 
almost  for  the  first  time.  She  unlocked  the  gate  and 
put  her  slender  white  arms  about  Valeska. 

"What  has  happened?"  exclaimed  the  latter. 

"What  I  feared;  only,  thank  heaven,  not  to  Miss 
Dalrymple !"  was  Astro's  solemn  response.  "Come  this 
way  and  you'll  see." 

He  led  the  way  past  an  apple  tree  at  the  side  of 
the  house.  A  few  pac'es  beyond  this  a  great  hole  was 
torn  in  the  earth,  and,  by  its  jagged  appearance  and 
slanting  sides,  it  was  evident  that  it  had  been  made 
by  some  explosive.  Behind  a  rose  bush  lay  a  woman's 
body. 


MISS    DALRYMPLE'S    LOCKET         163 

"Fanny,"  said  Astro. 

Miss  Dalrymple  sank  beside  her  maid  and  began  to 
weep  silently. 

"Do  you  understand  now?"  said  Astro  to  his  as- 
sistant. 

"What  a  fiend !"  she  cried.  "Her  stepmother  meant 
this  trap  for  Miss  Dalrymple !  She  buried  an  infernal 
machine  here !  But  how  was  it  exploded  ?" 

Astro  pointed  to  the  motionless  body.  "The  rea- 
son why  I  did  not  caution  Miss  Dalrymple  not  to  show 
her  maid  the  translation  of  the  cipher  was  because  I 
wanted  the  second  Mrs.  Dalrymple  to  believe  that  her 
hellish  trick  was  going  to  be  successful.  I  was  afraid 
Miss  Dalrymple's  curiosity  would  induce  her  to  dig 
under  the  rose  bush  before  I  came.  To-night  I  wrung 
a  confession  from  her  stepmother  revealing  this  whole 
frightful  business.  That's  why  I  hurried.  But  I  had 
no  idea  of  Fanny's  duplicity.  Evidently,  though  she 
was  a  spy  for  the  Brooklyn  woman,  she  did  not  have 
her  complete  confidence.  Fanny  thought  she  would  get 
the  letter  before  Miss  Dalrymple  dug  it  up,  and  use  it 
to  extort  money.  You  see  how  well  she  has  succeeded." 

"Oh !  is  she  dead  ?"  whispered  Valeska. 

"Luckily,  no;  only  stunned.  Mrs.  Myra  Dalrymple 
probably  won't  have  to  go  to  the  electric  chair  for  it, 
though  she  deserves  it  richly.  But,  at  least,  there  will 
be  no  more  contest  over  the  will.  In  the  first  place,  I 
got  the  letter  from  her  to-night;  in  the  second,  if  I 
hadn't,  we  could  prevent  her  opposition  by  our  knowl- 
edge of  this  crime.  She'll  leave  the  country  to-mor- 
row." 

The  cab  was  now  heard.  It  stopped,  and  the  driver, 
with  a  physician,  came  running  up  the  walk. 


164       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"There  has  been  a  little  accident  here/'  said  Astro 
suavely.  "A  buried  gasoline  tank  exploded,  and  this 
woman  was  injured,  doctor.  Carry  her  into  the  house 
and  do  what  you  can  for  her." 

Miss  Dalrymple,  who  had  been  listening  wide-eyed 
to  the  conversation,  a  ravishing  figure  in  the  moon- 
light in  her  charmingly  disheveled  state,  now  put  her 
hand  on  Astro's  arm. 

"But  I  don't  understand  at  all,"  she  said,  "except 
that  Fanny  has  been  deceiving  me  for  a  year.  Do  you 
mean  to  say  that  Mrs.  Dalrymple  put  that  cipher  in  the 
locket  herself  and  sent  it  to  me  ?" 

"Certainly,"  said  Astro,  "and  a  very  clever  trick  it 
was." 

"But  why  did  she  do  it  that  way?"  the  young  girl 
inquired,  still  baffled.  "Why  was  she  so  elaborate 
about  it?" 

"Because,"  replied  the  Master  of  Mysteries,  with  a 
lurking  smile,  "she  knew  a  great  deal  more  about  hu- 
man nature  than  you  do,  and  a  good  deal  less  than  I, 
that's  all!" 


NUMBER  THIRTEEN 

RECLINING  on  a  huge  velvet  divan,  puffing  at  his 
water-pipe  lazily,  Astro  read  to  the  last  page  of 
Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde,  and  then  tossed  the  paper- 
covered  book  on  the  floor  with  a  grunt. 

Valeska  looked  up  from  her  work,  ready  for  his 
comment. 

"If  Stevenson  had  written  that  book  this  year,  he'd 
have  known  more  about  dissociated  personality,"  he 
remarked. 

"Why,  it's  nothing  but  a  parable,  that's  all,"  Va- 
leska offered. 

"Well,  it  might  be  more ;  it  might  be  science  as  well. 
The  fundamental  idea  is  wrong.  We  haven't  only  two 
souls  or  personalities  apiece,  one  good,  one  bad ;  we 
have  an  infinite  number,  according  to  modern  psychol- 
ogy. Our  normal  self  can  break  up  into  any  number 
of  combinations  of  its  elements.  That  is  why  we  are 
different  persons  when  we're  angry,  when  we  dream, 
when  we  are  drunk  or  insane." 

"But  isn't  there  a  subconscious  self  that  runs  the 
body  at  such  times?"  said  Valeska.  "I've  been  read- 
ing about  it.  Some  psychologists  call  it  the  'subliminal* 
self." 

"Rubbish!"  Astro  rose  and  walked  up  and  down 
nervously.  "They  are  not  psychologists ;  they  are 

165 


166       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

metaphysicians,  and  not  worth  considering.  They  speak 
as  if  there  were  a  sort  of  secret  submerged  soul  coiled 
up  inside  us  like  a  chicken  in  an  egg.  An  oracle  in  a 
well !  There  is  no  such  thing.  We  are  all  of  a  piece  \" 

"But  how  about  somnambulists  who  diagnose  their 
own  complaints  and  predict  the  course  of  their  ill- 
ness? How  about  the  known  cases  of  multiple  per- 
sonality,— Felida  X  and  Miss  Beauchamp  in  Boston? 
Their  alternate  selves  were  distinct  and  separate." 

"You  should  read  The  Journal  of  Abnormal  Psy- 
chology" said  Astro.  "Those  selves  are  fortuitous 
combinations  of  the  normal  self's  properties ;  they  are, 
strictly,  part-selves.  The  subjects  are  simply  not  'all 
there'." 

"And  those  post-hypnotic  time  experiments,  too?" 
she  persisted.  "I  have  read  of  their  suggesting  that  a 
subject  should,  just  fifteen  hundred  and  forty-seven 
minutes  afterward,  look  at  his  watch  and  write  down 
the  time.  He  did  it,  in  every  such  case." 

"And  you  think  he  has  a  subliminal  self,  a  sort  of 
psychic  alarm  clock,  that  telephones  to  his  waking  per- 
sonality? Nonsense!  They  managed  to  tap  the  me- 
chanical part  of  his  memory,  that's  all.  It's  like  look- 
ing up  a  book  in  a  library.  There  are  no  co-conscious 
personalities.  What  happens  in  'automatic  writing'? 
A  person  holds  a  pencil  in  his  hand,  and  it  seems  to 
write  of  itself.  Spirits?  Rubbish!  A  subliminal  self? 
Poppycock!  The  hand  transcribes  merely  records  of 
thoughts  or  memories  that  have  been  forgotten  or 
were  unnoticed,  that's  all.  We  don't  think  of  half  we 
see  and  hear;  we  pass  myriads  of  faces  in  the  street, 
for  instance ;  but  everything  is  recorded,  as  on  a  pho- 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  167 

nographic  cylinder,  and,  under  abnormal  conditions, 
the  record  may  be  reproduced.'* 

"Well,"  said  Valeska,  "it's  all  uncanny.  Normal 
psychology  is  difficult  enough  to  understand ;  but  when 
one  is  four  or  five  different  persons  I  give  up.  How 
many  am  I  ?"  she  added  merrily,  tossing  a  mischievous 
glance  at  him,  as  she  put  on  her  hat  and  furs. 

"You're  a  million — each  nicer  than  the  rest." 

"Then  I'm  glad!"  She  looked  very  demure  as  she 
walked  toward  the  door ;  but  she  stopped  there  to  smile 
frankly  back  at  him,  then  threw  him  a  good  night  and 
vanished. 

Astro  yawned,  went  to  the  bookcase,  and  returned 
to  the  couch  with  a  book  by  Leonide  Keating.  For 
a  while  he  labored  with  his  grandiloquent  mysticism, 
with  the  secret  of  Om  and  the  central  crystal  of  the 
universe;  then  suddenly  he  sat  erect.  A  noise  in  the 
outer  room  had  attracted  his  attention.  Another  mo- 
ment told  him  that  Valeska  had  returned  and  was 
speaking  to  some  one.  His  name  was  called. 

He  went  out,  to  find  her  with  a  strange  girl, 
strangely  clad.  Dark-haired  and  dark-skinned,  hand- 
some, oriental,  she  was  of  medium  height,  with  a  red 
shawl  drawn  about  her  head,  and  a  short  plaid  skirt, 
showing  her  little  feet  incased  in  men's  heavy  shoes. 
She  had  a  wild  frightened  look  in  her  eyes,  as  Va- 
leska tried  to  calm  her.  Her  mouth  trembled  pitifully, 
and  she  crouched  in  an  attitude  of  fear  and  self-ef- 
facement. She  looked  quickly  round  at  Astro,  and  ran 
for  the  door.  Evidently  she  saw  a  new  terror  in  him, 
and  trembled  all  over  with  excitement.  It  was  all  Va- 
leska could  do  to  restrain  her. 


168       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Astro  looked  the  girl  over  deliberately,  noting  every 
detail  of  countenance  and  costume,  then  he  raised  his 
eyebrows. 

"It's  the  strangest  thing!"  Valeska  explained.  "I 
was  walking  along  Thirty-fourth  Street  when  I  met 
her,  and  as  I  passed  I  thought  that  she  was  probably 
some  Italian  organ-grinder's  wife.  Then  she  turned 
back  and  ran  up  to  me  and  seized  my  hand.  She  was 
evidently  terribly  frightened  at  something;  but  she 
wouldn't  speak.  I  haven't  been  able  to  get  her  to  speak 
yet.  She  seemed  to  want  my  protection ;  so  I  brought 
her  back  here.  Who  do  you  suppose  she  can  be  ?" 

Astro  addressed  the  girl  in  Italian;  but  got  no  re- 
sponse. The  girl  eyed  him  as  a  dog  watches  the  boy 
who  has  been  torturing  him.  A  question  in  Russian 
was  as  unsuccessful.  Greek,  Turkish,  Yiddish, — she 
appeared  to  understand  none  of  these,  or  else  refused 
to  answer.  The  Master  of  Mysteries  became  interested. 

"Bring  her  into  the  studio,"  he  said  to  Valeska. 
"We'll  have  something  to  eat  here.  Perhaps  she  is 
hungry.  If  so,  that  will  gain  us  her  confidence."  So 
saying,  he  went  to  the  telephone  and  ordered  a  dinner 
for  three  sent  up  from  a  near-by  restaurant. 

As  Valeska  gently  led  the  stranger  toward  the  en- 
trance to  the  studio,  the  girl  suddenly  gave  a  wail, 
clasped  her  hands  to  her  bosom,  and  stared  fixedly, 
in  an  ecstasy  of  terror,  at  the  office  wall.  There  was 
a  large  one-day  calendar  there  above  Valeska's  desk, 
the  sheet  showing  the  words,  "Thursday,  May  13." 
Astro  hurried  to  the  girl's  side,  watching  her  keenly. 
Valeska  put  her  arms  about  her  reassuringly;  but  it 
was  not  till  she  had  drawn  her  softly  away  from  the 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  169 

sight  of  the  calendar  that  the  girl's  perturbation  was 
over.  She  walked  doggedly  into  the  great  dim  studio, 
as  if  half-asleep.  Valeska,  with  friendly  insistence, 
placed  her  in  a  comfortable  chair.  There  the  girl  sat, 
staring  with  expressionless  face  at  the  light. 

"Well,"  said  Valeska,  as  they  watched  her,  waiting 
for  the  dinner  to  be  bought  in,  "is  she  deaf,  or  dumb, 
or  half-witted,  or  drugged,  or  what?" 

Astro  had  not  taken  his  eyes  from  the  figure  of  his 
mysterious  visitor.  "She's  an  oriental,  of  course. 
That  is  why  she's  afraid  of  me.  She  has  been  through 
some  terrible  nervous  ordeal,  I  think.  I  believe  she 
hasn't  had  enough  to  eat.  Wait  till  we  have  had  din- 
ner, and  then  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  with  her.  Poor 
thing!  I'm  glad  it  was  you  and  not  a  police  officer 
who  found  her,  Valeska." 

The  girl  began  to  look  about  timidly,  but  with  little 
apparent  curiosity.  Valeska  undid  her  shawl  from 
her  head.  A  wave  of  black,  fine,  curly  hair  fell  with 
the  covering  and  made  the  face  more  picturesque.  She 
nestled  a  little  closer  to  her  protector ;  held  Valeska's 
hand  to  her  own  cheek.  The  two,  vividly  blond  and 
brunette,  made  a  striking  picture  together. 

On  Astro's  table  was  a  small  desk  calendar,  with  a 
memorandum  sheet  for  each  day.  He  quietly  took  it 
up  and  placed  it  in  the  girl's  lap.  Instantly  she  had  a 
new  fit  of  terror,  and  leaped  up  in  alarm.  Standing  in 
the  full  light  of  the  electric  lamp,  they  could  see  her 
mouth  working  convulsively  as  she  stared  at  the  num- 
ber 13.  She  started  on  a  run  for  the  door.  Valeska, 
quicker  than  Astro,  caught  and  held  her,  and  again 
attempted  to  soothe  her. 


170        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"Oh,  don't  try  any  more  experiments  with  her  yet !" 
she  implored.  "The  poor  thing  can't  stand  it.  She  is 
suffering  so  that  it  makes  my  heart  ache.  What  can 
be  the  matter?" 

"Aphasia,  for  one  thing,"  said  Astro,  seating  him- 
self a  little  way  off.  "She  tried  to  speak  hard  enough  ; 
but  she  couldn't.  The  girl  is  not  deaf  or  dumb,  any- 
way. It  is  growing  decidedly  interesting." 

By  degrees  the  girl  was  coaxed  back  to  the  chair, 
and  by  the  time  the  dinner  had  been  brought  in  she 
was  more  -easily  persuaded  to  take  a  seat  at  the  table 
beside  Valeska.  Indeed,  it  was  evident  that  she  was 
nearly  starving.  She  ate  ravenously,  with  great  mouth- 
fuls,  picking  up  the  food  in  her  hands.  She  was  not 
to  the  manner  born,  but  her  prettiness  made  her  sole- 
cisms pardonable.  Once  or  twice  during  the  meal  she 
stopped,  looked  at  Valeska,  and  seemed  to  be  trying 
to  speak;  but  no  words  came.  Her  hunger  satisfied, 
she  seemed  more  tractable  and  courageous.  She 
looked  at  Astro  without  fear.  Toward  Valeska,  she 
showed  the  devotion  of  a  dog. 

The  table  cleared  away,  Astro  took  a  sheet  of  paper 
and  wrote  down  the  number  13.  The  girl  trembled, 
but  now  not  so  violently.  She  looked  up  at  Valeska 
with  a  mute  appeal. 

"Don't!"  said  Valeska. 

Astro  wrote  a  column  of  three  figures :  6,  5,  and  2. 
The  girl  stared  at  it  without  intelligence.  The  Roman 
numerals  XIII  did  not  excite  her  at  all.  Next,  he  wrote 
the  word  "thirteen" ;  she  was  still  unmoved.  He  spoke 
the  word;  no  response.  .Then  he  placed  the  paper  in 
front  of  her,  and  put  the  pencil  in  her  hand.  She  took 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  171 

it  with  evident  familiarity,  and  her  hand  trembled. 
They  saw  her  bite  her  lip — she  was  indubitably  at- 
tempting to  communicate  with  them — but  she  was  un- 
able to  make  a  mark  on  the  sheet. 

"H'm!"  said  Astro  thoughtfully.  "Agraphia,  as 
well.  Now  we're  getting  warmer.  I  think  I  shall  get 
it  after  a  while." 

"Why,  to  me  it  seems  more  impossible  than  ever!" 
Valeska  said. 

"Strange  that  we  should  have  just  been  talking  about 
it,"  he  replied.  "It's  a  case  of  lost  identity,  disassoci- 
ated personality,  beyond  doubt.  I  think  I  can  solve  the 
riddle  if  I  can  hypnotize  her.  I'll  try." 

He  did  try,  but  without  avail.  At  his  first  mesmeric 
gestures  she  shrank  from  him  in  fear.  As  he  persisted, 
trying  with  a  crystal  ball  held  in  front  of  and  above 
her  eyes,  to  send  her  into  a  hypnotic  sleep  by  means 
of  a  partial  paralysis  of  the  optic  nerve,  she  resolutely 
defended  herself.  The  strangeness  of  his  motions 
aroused  her  suspicion,  and  she  refused  to  concentrate 
her  attention  sufficiently  to  be  influenced.  Direct  ver- 
bal suggestion,  the  simplest  and  most  effective  method 
of  inducing  hypnosis,  was  of  course  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, since  she  did  not  appear  to  understand  any  lan- 
guage he  spoke. 

"There  is  only  one  other  method,  if  even  that  will 
succeed,"  Astro  said  at  last.  "If  we  can  get  her  to 
write  automatically,  we  may  learn  something.  Her 
agraphia  prevents  her  writing  with  her  conscious  mind. 
We'll  try  what  is  called  the  method  of  'abstraction'.  It 
is  a  common  experiment.  One  holds  his  patient  ab- 
sorbed in  a  conversation  that  compels  his  utmost  men- 


172        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

tal  capacity, — in  Hebrew,  for  instance,  if  he  under- 
stands Hebrew, — and  while  that  is  going  on  some  one 
places  a  pencil  in  his  hand  and  whispers  in  his  ear. 
What  you  have  called  the  'subconscious  self  commu- 
nicates by  writing,  and  the  normal  conscious  person- 
ality is  unaware  that  he  is  writing." 

"But  how  can  we  engage  her  mind  so  absorbingly  ?" 
Valeska  asked  hopelessly.  "We  don't  know  her  lan- 
guage, whatever  it  may  be." 

Astro  paced  the  room  for  several  minutes,  thinking 
deeply.  He  stopped  occasionally  to  look  at  the  girl 
fixedly,  and  resumed  his  contemplation.  Finally  he 
went  up  to  her,  examined  her  palms,  and  his  face 
lighted  up. 

"I  believe  she's  musical !"  he  said. 

Valeska  stared.   "But  then—" 

"We'll  see.  Have  the  pencil  ready  to  put  in  her 
hand,  and  the  paper  on  the  table  by  it.  Watch  her 
closely,  and  see  if  she  is  affected  by  the  music.  If  she 
seems  to  be,  give  her  the  pencil." 

With  that,  he  walked  to  the  piano,  sat  down,  and 
began  to  play  the  tenth  rhapsody  of  Liszt.  As  he 
swung  into  the  abandon  of  its  more  temperamental 
passages,  he  seemed  himself  to  be  absorbed,  to  lose 
himself  in  the  intricate  harmonies.  He  was  a  skilled 
and  artistic  musician.  He  swayed  to  and  fro,  giving 
himself  up  physically  and  mentally  to  the  passion  and 
beauty  of  the  themes,  and  it  was  not  till  the  echoes  of 
the  last  divine  chords  had  ceased  reverberating  that 
he  slowly  turned  on  the  piano  stool  and  seemed  to 
awaken. 

"I've  got  it !"  cried  Valeska,  and,  springing  up,  she 


NUMBER    THIRTEEN 


173 


ran  over  and  handed  him  a  sheet  of  paper.  It  was 
partly  covered  with  rude  drawings,  apparently  mean- 
ingless rough  sketches,  mingled  with  attempts  at  let- 
tering : 


He  took  the  sheet  eagerly,  and  went  to  the  table 
under  the  electric  lamp  to  scrutinize  the  figures. 

"It's  not  very  promising  material,  is  it?"  said  Va- 
leska. 

"On  the  contrary,  it's  a  fine  beginning;  only  it  will 
take  a  bit  of  doing  to  make  it  out." 

"I  see  the  fatal  13  has  put  in  its  appearance  again." 

The  girl,  who  had  seemed  to  be  in  a  sort  of  stupor, 
now  leaned  over  the  table  and  inspected  the  sheet.  At 
sight  of  the  figures  13  she  gave  a  moan,  and  threw  her 
arms  about  Valeska,  trembling  all  over. 

"Poor  girl!"  said  Astro.  "I'm  afraid  there's  some- 
thing big  back  of  all  this.  She's  a  Turk,  or  an  Ar- 


174        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

menian,  or  a  Syrian.  See  the  Turkish  flag  that  she  has 
roughly  drawn  here?  .  .  .  Babi  .  .  .  Wait!" 

He  had  risen  to  go  to  the  bookcase,  when  the  girl 
reached  over  and  would  have  seized  the  paper,  had  not 
Valeska  prevented  her.  Astro  turned  to  ejaculate: 

"Babi?"  and  again,  "Baha-Ullah?" 

The  girl  quivered ;  but  did  not  speak. 

"She  may  be  a  member  of  the  Bahai  sect,  followers 
of  the  Bab,  the  Incarnation  of  the  Almighty,  whose 
religion  is  not  tolerated  by  the  faithful  in  Persia.  They 
are  all  kept  to  one  city,  where  they  live  like  primitive 
Christians;  indeed,  their  faith  is  a  mixture  of  Chris- 
tianity and  Mohammedanism.  We'll  see.  Valeska, 
she's  had  enough  for  to-night.  You  must  take  her 
home  and  take  care  of  her,  and  bring  her  back  to- 
morrow. Until  then  I  must  stay  up  and  think  it  out." 


For  hours  after  Valeska  had  left  with  her  ward,  As- 
tro walked  up  and  down  the  length  of  the  great  dim 
studio.  Occasionally  he  threw  himself  at  full  length  on 
the  big  couch  in  concentrated  thought.  At  intervals  he 
stood  erect,  his  eyes  fixed  in  abstraction  on  some  trophy 
of  arms  on  the  wall,  or  gazing  into  the  lucent  trans- 
parency of  his  crystal  ball.  Once  or  twice  he  sat  down 
at  the  table  and  gazed  long  at  the  hieroglyphic  marks 
made  on  the  paper  by  the  strange  girl.  At  three  in 
the  morning,  he  partially  undressed  and  lay  down  on 
the  couch  to  sleep.  He  rose  at  seven,  bathed,  and  went 
outdoors  for  a  walk. 

When  he  returned,  an  hour  later,  Valeska  was  in  the 
studio  alone.  Her  eyes  were  red ;  she  seemed  ashamed 
and  self-reproachful. 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  175 

"The  girl  has  disappeared!"  she  exclaimed  the  mo- 
ment Astro  appeared.  "When  I  woke  up,  she  wasn't 
in  the  room.  She  must  have  risen  and  dressed  while 
I  was  asleep.  But  I  found  this."  She  held  out  a  short 
curved  dagger,  in  a  morocco  sheath. 

Astro,  withdrawing  the  blade,  found  it  was  engraved 
with  an  Arabic  inscription.  He  read  the  motto  aloud : 

"For  the  heart  of  a  dog,  the  tongue  of  a  serpent!" 

"Ah !"  he  commented,  "this  may  help  some.  Our 
little  friend  apparently  isn't  so  timid  as  she  appeared. 
But,  somehow,  this  doesn't  look  like  the  property  of  a 
Babist.  In  spite  of  their  many  persecutions,  I  believe 
they  are  usually  non-resistants.  Well,  Valeska,  we'll 
have  to  find  the  girl,  now!  Come  along  with  me  im- 
mediately." 

His  green  limousine  was  already  at  the  door  in 
waiting.  Both  jumped  in,  and  as  they  drove  to  the 
southern  end  of  the  city  Astro  explained : 

"There  are  two  Syrian  quarters  in  New  York.  One 
is  in  Brooklyn,  the  other  down  on  Washington  Street, 
near  the  Battery.  We'll  go  to  that  one  first,  and  see 
what  we  can  find  there.  The  Turkish  flag  reminds  me 
that  that  is  often  hung  outside  stores  where  they  sell 
Turkish  rugs.  We'll  try  that  clue  afterward." 

Reaching  Washington  Street,  the  two  left  the 
motor-car  and  walked  toward  the  Battery,  past  rows 
of  squalid  houses.  At  every  corner  Astro  stopped  and 
gazed  about  deliberately. 

Finally,  he  seized  Valeska's  arm  with  a  quick  ges- 
ture. "Look  at  that  sign !"  he  exclaimed. 

On  West  Street,  facing  the  Hudson  River,  but  with 


176        THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

its  rear  abutting  on  a  vacant  lot  on  Washington  Street, 
was  a  huge  soap  factory.  Painted  on  the  dead  wall  was 
a  sign  whose  letters  were  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height. 

Valeska  read  it  aloud:  "Use  Babrock's  Brown 
Soap."  She  stopped  and  looked  at  Astro  in  bewilder- 
ment. "What  about  it?"" 

He  drew  the  drawing  from  his  pocket  and  pointed 
out  the  lettering.  "Don't  you  see  ?"  he  cried.  "  'BABP  P 
That's  a  part  of  the  sign,  surely.  Look  at  those  two 
buildings  on  each  side  of  the  sign.  Now  look  at  this 
row  of  houses.  From  some  one  of  those  windows  the 
sign  must  present  the  appearance  she  has  drawn. 
Making  the  drawing  subconsciously,  she  has  merely 
copied  something  with  which  she  has  been  familiar, — 
seeing  it,  probably,  every  day.  We  must  find  the  win- 
dow from  which  the  sign  looks  just  like  her  drawing." 

He  looked  at  the  sign  again  carefully,  estimating  its 
height  and  the  relative  position  of  the  two  buildings 
whose  roofs  would  cut  off  the  first  and  last  group  of 
letters.  A  rough  triangulation  led  him  to  a  house  in 
the  lower  part  of  which  was  a  cobbler's  shop.  This  he 
entered. 

"Are  there  any  rooms  to  let  in  this  house  ?"  he  asked 
of  the  man  at  the  bench. 

The  man  nodded.  "Go  up-stairs  and  ask  at  second 
floor,"  he  replied.  "You  see  Carbon  Soumissin;  he 
keeps  the  house." 

Up-stairs  went  Astro  and  Valeska,  and  plunged  into 
a  dark  narrow  hallway.  A  doorway  opened  part  way 
and  a  whiskered  man  looked  out.  He  had  an  evil  face, 
blotched  with  red  spots,  and  wore  a  fez.  He  was  smok- 
ing a  Turkish  cigarette. 

"What  you  want  here?" 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  177 

"I'd  like  to  look  at  your  front  room,  third  floor." 

A  murmur  of  voices  came  from  inside  the  room. 
The  man  turned  and  growled  some  foreign  oath.  Then 
he  turned  and  looked  at  Astro  with  a  vicious  inquisi- 
tion. 

"All  right/'  he  said  at  last ;  "you  go  up.  Door  open. 
Three  dollars  a  week." 

Astro  waited  for  no  more;  but  ran  up  the  stairs, 
followed  by  his  assistant.  Once  out  of  earshot,  he 
stopped  for  a  moment  to  pull  out  the  paper  again,  and 
pointed  to  the  first  drawing  on  the  sheet.  "Fez,"  he 
said,  and  looked  at  her  meaningly. 

"The  old  man  with  the  cigarette?" 

"Probably.  Now  we'll  find  out  what  they  have  been 
up  to." 

The  hall  bedroom  was  incredibly  dirty,  but  con- 
tained nothing  but  a  cot  bed  with  vile  coverings,  a 
chair,  and  a  crazy  wash-stand,  over  which  hung  a 
square  cracked  mirror.  Astro  first  went  to  the  grimy 
window  and  looked  out.  He  pointed  to  the  sign,  and 
Valeska  followed  his  eyes.  One  of  the  buildings  across 
the  street  cut  off  the  first  word,  "use,"  and  the  other, 
with  a  small  dormer,  obscured  all  after  "bab"  with  the 
exception  of  the  upper  half  of  the  R.  It  showed,  in 
fact,  precisely  as  the  girl  had  drawn  it. 

"This  is  the  room,  all  right.  Now  let's  examine  it." 

He  took  up  the  chair  first,  and  looked  it  over  care- 
fully. Then  he  pointed  to  marks  on  the  sides  of  the 
back,  where  the  paint  was  worn  smooth.  The  marks 
were  about  an  inch  wide,  and  similar  ones  showed  on 
the  legs  and  on  the  side  rails  of  the  seat. 

"This  is  where  straps  have  chafed  the  paint,"  he 
commented.  "She  was  undoubtedly  fastened  securely. 


178       [THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES          ^ 

Did  you  notice  where  the  marks  or  bruises  were  on 
her?" 

"Yes;  they  were  bad  enough  for  me  to  remember. 
There  were  red  marks  on  her  wrists  and  on  her  arms 
below  her  shoulders;  and  her  arms  were  almost  cov- 
ered with  bruises ;  but  small  ones." 

"Oh,  they  pinched  her,  no  doubt.  Undoubtedly  she 
had  a  rough  time  of  it,  if  one  may  judge  the  character 
of  the  villain  with  the  fez.  Well,  we  must  find  her. 
There's  no  use  inquiring  here.  If  they  have  used  this 
room  for  a  torture  chamber,  we'll  get  nothing  out  of 
them,  and  they'll  grow  suspicious." 

They  went  down-stairs,  and,  while  Valeska  waited 
in  the  street,  Astro  drove  a  bargain  with  Carbon 
Soumissin.  Luckily  the  lower  hall  was  dark,  and  the 
Turk  could  not  perceive  Astro's  oriental  countenance. 
But  the  Master  of  Mysteries  had  an  important  piece 
of  news  to  tell  when  he  rejoined  Valeska, 

"They  were  talking  Arabic,  or  rather  Turkish.  I 
heard  one  of  them  quote  the  motto  we  saw  on  the  dag- 
ger. Now  I  know  what  they  are.  Have  you  heard  of 
the  Hunchakists?" 

The  papers  had  been  so  full  of  one  of  the  recent 
murders  of  this  dreaded  Armenian  society,  that  Va- 
leska knew  roughly  what  the  name  implied. 

"Every  country  seems  to  have  its  guerrilla  assas- 
sins," said  Astro,  as  they  drove  up-town.  "But  the  Ar- 
menian Hunchakists  are  more  dangerous  than  any  of 
the  others,  because  they  are  better  organized.  Their 
object  is  usually  extortion.  Now  we  must  visit  the  rug 
merchants.  I'm  afraid  we're  on  the  track  of  something 
serious  this  time." 

Their  route  led  them  directly  into  the  heart  of  the 


All   right,"  he  said  at  last,  "  you  go  up.     Door  open " — 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  179 

mystery.  On  Eighteenth  Street,  where,  in  front  of  a 
Turkish  rug  store,  the  crescent  of  Turkey  hung  out, 
there  was  a  great  crowd  gathered,  pressing  about  the 
entrance.  It  took  Astro  little  time  to  discover  the 
cause  of  the  disturbance.  The  merchant,  Marco 
Dyorian,  had  been  found,  when  his  shop  was  opened 
by  his  head  bookkeeper,  lying  in  a  pool  of  blood  in  his 
office,  shot  in  the  back.  He  was  not  dead,  though  mor- 
tally wounded  and  unconscious.  He  was  now  at  the 
hospital,  at  the  point  of  death. 

A  policeman  guarded  the  door,  preventing  any  one 
from  entering.  Astro  and  Valeska  caught  sight  of  his 
cap  over  the  heads  of  the  bystanders,  and  when  the 
crowd  eddied  they  saw  his  face. 

"Why,  it's  McGraw!" 

"So  it  is!"  said  Astro.  "What  luck!" 

They  squirmed  their  way  through  the  crowd,  to  find 
the  burly  police  officer  who,  with  Astro's  assistance, 
had  been  able  to  gain  considerable  reputation  in  con- 
nection with  the  Macdougal  Street  dynamite  outrages. 
The  two  were  now  fast  friends.  Indeed,  McGraw 
owed  his  lieutenant's  cap  to  the  help  of  the  Master  of 
Mysteries.  He  therefore  welcomed  them  both  with  a 
grin. 

"What  is  the  straight  of  this,  McGraw?"  Astro 
asked. 

"Hunchakist  murder,  sure!"  responded  the  lieu- 
tenant. 

"I  thought  as  much.   Who  did  it?" 

"Oh,  we  got  'em  all  right  this  time.  No  thanks  to 
you,  sir,  for  once,  though  I'd  always  be  glad  of  your 
help.  This  one's  a  girl  who  done  it." 

Astro  and  Valeska  looked  at  each  other.   "A  girl?" 


i8o        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Yes,  sir.  They'll  be  bringing  her  down  presently. 
It's  only  fifteen  minutes  ago  we  got  her.  She  was  hid- 
ing out  in  a  back  closet  where  nobody  thought  to  look 
at  first.  She  was  in  a  dead  faint." 

"What  does  she  look  like?" 

"Faith,  I  don't  know  that  myself.  I've  only  just  got 
here  with  the  reserves.  But  if  you  stand  here,  you'll 
see  her  come  down.  There's  the  wagon  already.  Stand 
back  there!" 

The  crowd  scattered,  and  the  patrol  wagon  drove 
up  with  a  clatter.  Several  officers  jumped  out  and  ran 
up-stairs. 

Astro  turned  to  Valeska  and  spoke  under  his  breath. 
"What  time  did  you  see  her  last?" 

"I  got  up  about  midnight,  and  she  was  lying  on  the 
couch." 

She  put  her  hand  on  his  arm.  "Oh,  it  couldn't  have 
been  she!"  she  exclaimed. 

At  that  moment  the  officers  brought  their  prisoner 
down-stairs.  It  was  indeed  the  girl  who  had  been  in 
the  studio  the  night  before,  and  had  gone  home  with 
Valeska.  Just  as  the  group  passed,  Astro  touched  Mc- 
Graw's  shoulder. 

"Let  me  speak  to  her  a  moment.   I  know  this  girl." 

McGraw  stared;  but  his  faith  in  the  occult  powers 
of  the  Seer  was  so  great  that  he  delayed  the  officers. 
They  stopped  for  a  moment.  Astro  addressed  the  girl 
in  Turkish. 

"Let  me  help  you,"  he  said. 

She  looked  at  him  sulkily.  But  it  was  not  with  the 
blank  expressionless  face  of  yesterday.  Her  brows 
drew  together. 

"I  don't  know  you,"  she  said  at  last. 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  181 

Valeska  pushed  forward  and  took  Her  hand. 

"Don't  you  know  this  lady  ?"  Astro  asked. 

The  girl  stared.  Some  half-forgotten  memory 
seemed  to  stir  within  her.  Her  lips  moved  silently  as 
she  stared  hard  at  Valeska's  face.  Then  she  shook 
her  head,  and  said,  "I  don't  know." 

"I  can't  keep  'em  waiting,"  McGraw  whispered. 
"Let  her  go,  and  you  can  call  at  the  Tombs  to  see  her 
again.  I'll  see  that  you  get  in.  Go  on,  now !" 

The  girl  was  escorted  to  the  wagon  and  took  her 
seat,  facing  the  crowd  stolidly,  an  officer  on  each  side 
of  her.  Once,  before  they  drove  away,  her  eyes  turned 
to  where  Valeska  stood  in  the  doorway,  and  the  same 
puzzled  expression  crossed  her  face. 

"McGraw,"  said  Astro,  after  the  wagon  had  gone, 
"how'd  you  like  to  get  a  captain's  commission?" 

McGraw  hastily  took  him  aside.  "You  don't  mean 
to  say  you  know  about  this  job  already?"  he  asked  ex- 
citedly. 

"I  know  one  thing.  A  man  you  want  lives  at  101 
Washington  Street,  and  I  think  his  name  is  Carbon 
Soumissin.  At  any  rate,  I'd  advise  you  to  get  right 
down  there  immediately  and  run  in  every  one  you  find 
in  the  house.  Hurry  up  before  they've  gone !" 

McGraw's  eyes  gleamed.  "And  you'll  coach  me  then 
what  to  do?"  he  asked. 

"Yes." 

"All  right."  Hastily  summoning  a  police  sergeant, 
he  gave  him  a  few  orders,  and  then  hurried  to  the 
station. 

"Where  was  the  wounded  man  taken  ?"  Astro  asked 
the  sergeant." 

"To  the  receiving  hospital." 


182        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"We'll  go  over  there  first,  then."  And  Astro  and 
Valeska  made  their  way  to  the  limousine  and  ordered 
the  driver  to  the  place. 

"But,"  said  Valeska,  "how  queerly  she  acted!  I'm 
so  disappointed  that  she  didn't  recognize  me,  after  all 
I'd  done  for  her.  I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  it." 

"Don't  you  see?  She  has  waked  up.  Yesterday  she 
was  quite  another  person,  a  dissociated  personality. 
She  had  no  memory,  and  had  even  lost  the  power  to 
talk  or  write.  That  is  often  the  case.  Owing  to  some 
severe  mental  shock,  her  normal  personality  was 
broken  up  into  parts,  so  to  speak.  She  had  just  enough 
of  the  functions  of  her  mind  synthesized  to  have  voli- 
tion, and  that  part-self  resembled  a  crazy  person.  She 
had  been  tortured  and  starved,  no  doubt  in  order  to 
force  her  to  commit  this  crime,  by  Soumissin.  Some- 
how she  managed  to  escape  from  that  house,  and  then 
her  reason  left  her.  You  found  her  what  she  was, 
half-witted,  with  only  sense  enough  to  appeal  to  your 
protection.  She  had  forgotten  everything, — every- 
thing, that  is,  except  something  concerning  the  num- 
ber 13.  Now  the  question  is,  when  did  she  come  to 
herself  and  her  full  rationality?  Was  it  when  she  got 
up  in  your  room  to  leave  you — " 

"Or  was  it  when  she  got  into  the  rug  store?"  Va- 
leska added,  with  a  look  of  horror  in  her  eyes. 

"That's  the  question.  Let's  hope  that  Dyorian  is 
conscious  by  the  time  we  reach  the  hospital.  Every- 
thing depends  on  that !" 

Arrived  at  the  hospital,  Astro  entered  the  office  and 
asked  for  the  house  physician.  A  few  words  only  were 
necessary  to  explain  the  palmist's  right  of  inquiry,  and 
his  description  of  the  Syrian  girl's  mental  condition 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  183 

was  of  great  professional  interest  to  the  doctor.  He 
promised  to  go  to  the  Tombs  and  see  her  as  soon  as 
possible.  Dyorian,  it  seemed,  lay  at  the  point  of  death ; 
but,  finding  how  important  it  was  to  have  the  exact 
time  of  the  shooting  determined,  the  doctor  consented 
to  go  up  to  the  ward  and  attempt  to  revive  him  suffi- 
ciently to  answer  the  question.  Astro  and  Valeska 
waited  for  him  in  the  office. 

It  was  fifteen  minutes  before  he  returned.  "I  could 
just  barely  make  him  understand,"  he  said,  "but  I  am 
sure  that  he  did  at  last.  With  almost  his  last  breath 
he  whispered,  'Ten  o'clock/  adding  that  he  didn't  know 
who  shot  him.  He  died  before  I  left  the  bedside." 


Acting  on  Astro's  hint,  McGraw  not  only  succeeded 
in  capturing  a  half-dozen  Turks  and  Armenians  in  the 
Washington  Street  den,  but,  exercising  the  "third  de- 
gree" in  a  manner  for  which  he  was  famous,  extorted 
a  confession  from  one  of  the  prisoners.  It  was  the 
more  easy  because  the  man,  who  had  honestly  believed 
himself  to  be  working  for  the  cause  of  Armenian  free- 
dom, discovered  that  he  had  been  merely  the  tool  of  a 
band  of  blackmailers  and  murderers.  He  had  witnessed 
the  cruel  torture  of  the  young  Syrian  girl ;  but  had  been 
told  that  she  was  a  Turkish  spy  who  was  plotting  to 
betray  the  Armenian  cause  to  the  Sublime  Porte. 

On  hearing  her  alibi,  sworn  to  by  Valeska,  the  girl 
was  released;  but  she  was  ten  days  under  the  care  of 
the  hospital  doctor  before  her  nerves  were  recovered 
enough  for  her  to  be  brought  to  the  studio.  She  had 
been  told  of  Valeska's  kindness;  but  could  remember 
nothing  that  had  happened  since  her  mind  first  began 


184        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

to  wander  under  the  effects  of  pain  and  starvation. 
But  her  intuition  recognized  her  protectress  without 
the  aid  of  reason,  and  she  fell  on  her  knees  like  a  slave 
at  Valeska's  feet.  She  could  not  speak  a  word  of  Eng- 
lish; but  her  eyes  were  sufficiently  eloquent  to  prove 
her  gratitude.  She  treated  Astro  as  if  he  were  her 
lord  and  master,  watching  him  continually. 

After  she  had  told  of  her  wakening  to  her  full  rea- 
son in  Valeska's  room,  she  described  the  terror  that 
had  come  over  her  at  the  thought  of  Dyorian.  The 
thirteenth  was  the  day  set  for  his  murder.  Her  tor- 
mentors had  in  vain  tried  to  force  her  to  do  the  deed ; 
but,  when  they  found  she  was  intractable,  they  had 
told  her  that,  whether  she  did  it  or  not,  Dyorian  should 
surely  die  on  the  thirteenth.  It  was  with  the  idea  of 
saving  him  from  his  fate  that  she  made  more  strenuous 
attempts  to  escape,  and,  after  her  memory  had  gone, 
the  number  13  still  inspired  her  with  terror  and  dread. 
Wakening  at  Valeska's,  this  thought  had  been  her 
first,  and  she  dressed  quietly  and  stole  out  of  the  house 
to  warn  him.  She  had  found  the  rug  merchant  al- 
ready shot,  and  the  horror  of  the  scene  had  in  her 
weak  state  again  deprived  her  of  reason.  She  had  run 
from  the  body — and  that  was  all  she  could  remember 
until  she  was  restored  to  consciousness  by  two  police- 
men. Then,  her  fear  of  being  accused  as  the  murderess 
had  nearly  distraught  her  wits  again. 

She  looked  curiously  now  at  the  pictures  she  had 
drawn  while  in  the  state  of  abstraction,  and  identified 
the  sign,  the  fez,  the  Turkish  flag,  and  the  number  13. 

"But  what  is  this  one?"  Astro  asked,  pointing  to 
the  one  drawing  he  had  not  identified. 


NUMBER   THIRTEEN  185 

The  girl  shuddered,  and  reach  for  Valeska's  hand. 
When  she  could  speak,  she  explained  to  Astro. 

"It  was  awful, — you  can't  know  how  awful  it  was 
till  you  have  tried  it.  I  was  three  days  strapped  to  that 
chair,  and  on  the  wall  right  opposite  my  head  was  a 
mirror.  I  had  to  look  at  myself  all  day.  It  grew  more 
and  more  horrible,  till  I  couldn't  stand  it.  By  turning 
my  head  I  could  see  the  sign,  but  always  my  own  face 
was  in  front  of  me,  staring,  staring,  staring.  It  grew 
hideous,  sinister,  diabolic.  After  a  while  it  wasn't  I, 
at  all.  It  was  a  devil  leering  at  me,  and  I  knew  he  was 
inside  of  me  looking  through  my  own  eyes.  Oh,  God !" 
She  paused,  and  looking  up  at  Valeska  said  simply, 
"She  is  lucky.  She  can  look  at  her  face  in  the  glass. 
I  can't  ever  use  a  mirror  any  more.  It  frightens  me." 

Astro  nodded  his  head  slowly.  Then  he  said,  with 
a  faint  smile,  "Yes,  I  can  fancy  no  more  exquisite  tor- 
ture for  a  woman  to  bear." 

Then,  before  he  translated  the  speech  to  Valeska, 
he  turned  to  her  with  a  whimsical  expression. 

"What  would  you  do  if  you  were  to  be  deprived  of 
mirrors  of  any  kind  for  the  rest  of  your  life?" 

"I  think  I'd  commit  suicide,"  she  replied,  blushing. 

"There'd  be  no  need  for  that.  I  shall  always  be  able 
to  tell  you  how  pretty  you  are.  But  now  we  must  cure 
this  little  girl.  I'm  sure  that  a  hypnotic  treatment  will 
soon  convince  her  how  pretty  she  is,  and  she  won't  be 
afraid  to  prove  it." 

Valeska  looked  up  archly,  and  added,  "Neither 
shall  I!" 


THE  TROUBLE  WITH 
TULLIVER 

"T  NOTICE  that  most  of  the  talk  about  Tulliver's 

J-  running  for  governor  has  stopped,"  said  Astro, 
dropping  his  morning  paper  and  looking  over  to  where 
Valeska,  his  assistant,  was  copying  horoscopes  from 
the  Master's  notes. 

"I'm  disappointed,"  she  replied.  "There  seemed  to 
be  hope  for  the  regeneration  of  the  city  government  at 
last.  It  is  strange  how  Tulliver  has  let  up  on  the  prose- 
cution of  those  Brooklyn  aldermen,  though,  isn't  it?" 

"Strange  ?  How  ?"  Astro  gazed  at  her  keenly ;  but 
it  was  perfectly  evident  that  he  was  confident  of  his 
own  opinion. 

"Why,  he  began  so  well  and  so  strenuously;  and 
then,  just  before  the  case  was  to  be  brought  for  trial 
he  seems  to  have  dropped  the  whole  thing.  It  doesn't 
seem  to  be  like  what  we  know  of  his  character,  some- 
how." 

"Do  you  believe  that  he's  been  bribed  ?"  Astro  bent 
his  dark  brows. 

"You  never  can  tell  nowadays.  But  he's  such  a 
fighter  ordinarily  that  it  looks  suspicious.  Why,  I've 
heard  extraordinary  tales  of  his  persistence  and  his 
energy.  He  takes  no  more  sleep  than  Edison, — he 
works  night  and  day,  and  can  do  usually  four  times  as 

186 


THE   TROUBLE    WITH   TULLIVER     187 

mucfi  work  as  an  ordinary  man  could  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances." 

Astro  nodded  his  picturesque  dark  head  thought- 
fully, and  took  his  customary  seat  on  the  divan  by  his 
water-pipe.  With  a  toss  of  his  hand  he  threw  his  red 
silken  robe  about  his  legs.  The  moonstone  aigret  in 
his  oriental  turban  nodded  rhythmically  as  he  thought 
it  over.  Finally  he  said : 

"The  district  attorney  has  not  been  bribed,  Valeska, 
I'm  sure  of  that.  I  have  seen  him  and  talked  with 
him.  I've  studied  his  hand,  his  face,  his  gait,  his  voice, 
his  gesture.  Money  can't  buy  that  man.  He  not  only 
has  the  energy  you  speak  of,  Valeska,  he  has  a  tre- 
mendous moral  force  besides.  There  is  no  graft  in 
Tulliver.  But  there's  something  wrong.  This  lack  of 
power,  just  when  he  ought  to  strike  hardest,  is  suspi- 
cious. It's  sinister.  I  tell  you!"  he  added,  rising,  as 
the  idea  caught  and  held  him  with  a  new  force.  "This 
gang  of  boodlers  has  got  him  somehow!  It's  not  a 
square  fight !" 

Valeska  came  up  to  him,  more  than  commonly 
moved  by  his  emotion.  "Oh!"  she  exclaimed,  taking 
his  hand,  "why  can't  you  help  him,  if  there  is  a  plot? 
I'd  like  to  see  you  try  your  hand  at  something  more 
worth  while  than  mere  murders  and  jewel  mysteries. 
You're  wasting  your  talents  on  such  ordinary  detective 
work.  Why  not  offer  your  services?  Why  not  take 
up  the  fight  for  him,  and  with  him,  if  it's  possible,  and 
help  him  win?  You'll  never  have  a  more  worthy 
cause!" 

In  her  excitement  her  voice  had  become  vibrant, 
thrilling  with  a  warm  personal  note  not  wholly  ac- 
counted for  by  her  words.  Astro  perceived  it,  glanced 


188       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

at  her,  turned  away  suddenly.  His  voice  had  changed 
too,  when  he  said : 

"Shall  I  offer  my  services?" 

"Oh,  do!" 

"You  know  that  it  is  not  my  policy  nor  my  custom 
to  do  that." 

"It's  your  duty." 

He  swung  round  to  her  and  took  both  her  hands  in 
a  strong  grip.  "If  you  ask  me,  Valeska,  I'll  do  it." 

And  so  Astro  undertook  to  discover  what  was  the 
trouble  with  Tulliver. 

It  was  a  delicate  proceeding,  at  first,  and  it  devolved 
upon  Valeska  herself  to  undertake  the  initial  steps.  It 
was  three  or  four  days  before  she  had  gone  over  the 
ground  well  enough  to  select  the  point  of  attack;  but 
at  the  end  of  that  time  she  had  made  up  her  mind  that 
Mrs.  Tulliver  was  in  the  line  of  least  resistance  to  her 
efforts. 

It  did  not  take  long  for  Valeska  to  discover  that 
Mrs.  Tulliver  had  a  baby,  and  that  the  baby  had  a 
nurse,  that  the  two  went  every  fine  morning  to  take 
the  air  in  Central  Park.  In  two  days  Valeska  was 
there  also  with  a  baby  borrowed  for  the  occasion. 
Valeska  waited  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and 
East  Sixty-fourth  Street,  until  little  Alice  Tulliver 
and  her  nurse  came  down  the  steps  of  the  Tulliver 
house.  After  that  it  was  easy  to  make  connections  in 
the  park  and  to  happen  to  sit  down  on  the  same  bench. 
To  any  one  who  watched  Valeska's  whimsical  charm, 
and  pretty  expressive  face,  a  confidential  acquaint- 
anceship was  inevitable  and  the  most  natural  thing  in 
the  world. 


THE   TROUBLE   WITH   TULLIVER     189 

In  such  wise  Valeska  soon  learned  that  Tulliver  was 
suffering  from  what  the  doctors  were  pleased  to  term 
nervous  prostration;  that  he  had  been  advised  to  take 
a  rest ;  and  that  Mrs.  Tulliver  was  much  worried  over 
the  situation.  Mrs.  Tulliver  was  ambitious  and  took 
great  interest  in  her  husband's  political  career.  There 
was  an  atmosphere  of  great  anxiety  in  the  house  on 
Sixty-fourth  Street. 

Valeska  was  a  willing  and  sympathetic  listener  to 
the  nurse's  confidence,  and  watched  her  chance  for  in- 
terposition. It  came  unexpectedly  the  very  next  day, 
when  Mrs.  Tulliver  herself  came  across  the  two  en- 
gaged in  conversation  on  a  park  bench.  There  was  lit- 
tle need  for  diplomacy.  Valeska's  attractive  manners 
produced  an  immediate  effect  upon  Mrs.  Tulliver's 
emotional,  intuitive  nature;  and  seeing  with  her  rare 
perception  that  frankness  was  the  quickest  and  easiest 
method  with  her,  Valeska  boldly  told  her  who  she  was, 
and  offered  her  services. 

Mrs.  Tulliver  was  too  full  of  her  own  forebodings 
not  to  grasp  immediately  at  this  unlooked-for  hope  in 
her  trouble.  She  confessed  that  her  suspicions  had 
been  aroused,  and,  though  they  were  not  shared  by  her 
husband,  she  was  convinced  that  the  gang  of  boodling 
aldermen,  desperate  at  the  prospect  of  conviction,  were 
making  underhanded  attacks  upon  their  chief  enemy, 
the  district  attorney.  They  were  not  of  a  sort  to  stop 
at  any  crime  that  would  rid  them  of  his  strenuous 
prosecution. 

Of  Astro's  fame  as  Master  of  Mysteries,  Mrs.  Tul- 
liver had  heard,  and  she  willingly  consented  to  lay  the 
matter  before  him.  His  name  was  already  known  at 
the  district  attorney's  office  through  the  many  crimes 


190       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

tHat,  in  unofficial  cooperation  with  the  police,  he  had 
pursued  and  solved. 

Her  story,  after  reaching  the  studio,  amply  con- 
firmed Astro's  suspicions.  Tulliver  had,  the  week  be- 
fore the  date  set  for  the  opening  of  the  trial,  worked 
hard  night  and  day  over  the  data.  His  material  was 
complex  and  voluminous ;  it  required  all  his  energy  to 
select  the  proper  points  of  testimony,  to  arrange  his 
plan  of  prosecution,  and  to  divide  the  work  to  be  done 
by  his  assistants.  All  had  gone  well  till  Saturday.  He 
had  worked  at  his  office  till  noon,  and  then  had  gone  to 
a  barber  shop  in  the  vicinity  of  City  Hall  Square  and 
been  shaved  and  manicured.  That  night  he  had  in- 
tended going  to  the  house  of  a  friend  for  an  evening's 
entertainment  and  relaxation,  before  beginning  on 
the  arduous  final  preparations  for  the  trial.  These 
last  important  investigations  he  had  put  off  till  Sunday, 
thinking  that  the  recreation  on  Saturday  night  would 
help  him  to  devote  his  whole  energy  to  the  case. 

On  Saturday  night  he  showed  extreme  lassitude  and 
manifested  an  unwillingness  to  go  out  with  his  wife. 
She  had  induced  him  to  attend  the  entertainment,  how- 
ever; but,  his  fatigue  increasing,  they  had  both  re- 
turned early  and  retired.  On  Sunday  he  slept  late. 
He  was  worried  about  the  case ;  but  felt  almost  unable 
to  rise  and  go  to  work.  He  had,  after  breakfast, 
dragged  himself  to  his  study  and  shut  himself  up  with 
his  papers.  There  Mrs.  Tulliver  had  found  him  fast 
asleep  at  dinner-time.  He  made  a  second  attempt  to 
go  about  his  work  in  the  afternoon,  and  fell  asleep  a 
second  time,  showing  extreme  exhaustion.  At  nine 
o'clock  he  roused  himself  sufficiently  to  ask  his  wife  to 


THE   TROUBLE   WITH  TULLIVER     191 

telephone  to  the  judge  of  the  court  to  postpone  the 
case,  and  to  notify  his  assistants  of  the  necessary  delay. 

A  doctor  called  on  Monday  against  Tulliver's  wishes 
and  diagnosed  his  lassitude  as  nervous  prostration.  He 
had  prescribed  a  remedy,  and  after  taking  it  Tulliver 
had  gradually  recovered  his  customary  state  of  health 
and  energy.  This  attack  of  exhaustion,  however,  com- 
ing just  before  an  important  phase  of  the  case  was 
reached,  and  the  rumors  of  bribery  in  connection  with 
the  district  attorney,  which  had  already  been  voiced  in 
some  of  the  city  papers,  had  affected  him  as  deeply  as 
they  had  disturbed  Mrs.  Tulliver.  He  showed  no  disin- 
clination whatever  to  drop  the  case;  in  fact  he  was 
more  ardent  than  ever  in  wishing  to  bring  the  boodlers 
to  justice.  But  already  his  delays  and  apparent  lack  of 
interest  had  seriously  damaged  his  political  career  in 
the  minds  of  the  people. 

Astro  listened  to  all  this  attentively,  with  only  an 
occasional  question.  A  pretty  woman  at  all  times,  with 
a  proud,  spiritedly-poised  head  and  soft  dark  eyes, 
Mrs.  Tulliver's  distress  made  her  beauty  pathetic.  It 
was  plainly  evident  that,  much  as  she  was  moved  by 
the  fear  of  her  husband's  illness  and  the  sacrifice  of  his 
political  future,  what  affected  her  still  more  strongly 
was  the  fear  of  some  stain  on  his  reputation ;  and,  per- 
haps, in  the  dim  shadows  of  her  mind,  unacknowl- 
edged, but  sinisterly  insistent,  was  the  specter  of  a 
doubt  of  his  probity.  She  knew  well  enough  the  cun- 
ning and  the  ingratiating  methods  of  political  corrup- 
tion, and  though  she  would  not  admit  even  to  herself 
that  her  husband  was  venal,  the  horror  of  this  potent 
secret  force  prostrated  her. 

It  was  Astro  himself  who  gave  her  back  her  courage 


192       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

and  her  faith.  She  regained  her  strength  at  his  offers 
of  assistance.  As  he  spoke,  slowly,  gently,  command- 
ingly,  as  she  watched  his  handsome,  mysteriously  sen- 
tient face,  some  of  his  secret  power  went  from  him  to 
her.  The  very  strangeness  of  that  face,  with  its  ori- 
ental calm,  with  its  oriental  wisdom,  with  its  beatific 
sympathy,  gave  her  trust.  She  sat,  so,  watching  him, 
one  hand  in  Valeska's  hand,  till  he  had  finished. 

One  question,  however,  before  she  left,  he  put  in  a 
way  to  renew  her  alarm.  "Who  is  your  cook?"  he 
asked. 

"Why,  we've  had  her  only  about  nine  months;  but 
she  came  recommended  highly.  Do  you  think — " 

"Can  you  see  to  it  that  all  his  food  is  prepared  under 
your  personal  supervision,  or  that  he  takes  his  lunches 
only  at  large,  well-known  restaurants?" 

She  thought  she  could  do  both. 

"Be  careful,  then,"  he  said.  "And,  for  the  last  thing, 
find  out  all  his  movements  in  what  detail  you  can,  both 
in  the  past  and  in  the  future.  Telephone  me  every  day 
what  he  intends  to  do.  And,  by  the  way,  what  is  the 
date  set  for  the  opening  of  the  trial  ?" 

"Next  Monday." 

"Then  we  haven't  much  time.    But  we'll  win !" 

As  she  left  the  great  studio  Valeska  accompanied 
her  to  the  outer  door.  Here  she  paused  and  clutched 
the  girl's  hand.  "What  did  he  mean  about  the  cook?" 
she  demanded.  "Does  he  think  it  can  be  as  bad  as  that, 
— that  they  would  try  poison  ?" 

"Oh,  he's  only  anxious  to  take  all  the  precautions 
possible." 

"Then  I  shall  have  to  tell  my  Husband  I  have  been 
here." 


THE    TROUBLE   WITH   TULLIVER     193 

"As  you  please,"  said  Valeska.  "Only  be  sure  that 
you  have  the  most  powerful  defender  in  New  York. 
Astro  has  never  failed  yet." 

She  returned  to  the  studio,  to  find  Astro  already 
absorbed  in  a  medical  book.  He  had  taken  down  a 
bound  volume  of  The  Lancet,  and  pointed  to  it. 
"Look  that  over  carefully  and  see  if  you  can  find  that 
article  on  the  Pathology  of  Fatigue.  I  can't  recall 
what  year  it  came  out ;  but  it  was  the  report  of  the  ex- 
periments of  an  Austrian,  I  think." 

She  looked  at  him  in  surprise.  "You  have  a  theory 
already?" 

"No,  not  quite ;  but  there  is  a  disturbance  in  my 
memory, — there's  something  I  can't  quite  place,  or  ac- 
count for;  if  I  don't  try  too  hard,  it  will  float  up  un- 
consciously. That's  why  I  want  you  to  look  it  up. 
But  our  line  of  investigation  is  plain." 

"The  barber?" 

"Or  the  manicure.  I  didn't  dare  ask  about  that.  I 
don't  want  Tulliver  to  suspect.  Of  course  she'll  tell 
him  everything;  I  can  see  that,  I  expected  it.  But  I 
must  get  to  that  particular  barber  shop  to-day  and  be- 
gin to  watch." 

"Is  it  poison,  then?" 

"Undoubtedly  poison ;  but  whether  physical  or  moral 
I  don't  yet  know." 

"But  you  seemed  to  be  so  sure  of  his  honesty." 

"I  knew  she  would  tell  him  everything.  It  was  the 
only  way.  There  is  always  the  chance  of  corruption. 
Dishonesty  is  as  much  a  disease  as  cholera.  One  can 
become  infected  by  it  as  well  as  by  a  germ.  I  said  it 
was  my  business  to  know  human  nature;  but  no  one 
can  know  it,  except  to  be  sure  that  it's  liable  to  all 


194       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

sorts  of  dangers  and  diseases.  No  one  is  immune.  We 
can  only  fight  infection  of  all  sorts.  If  this  man  Tulli- 
ver  is  being  poisoned,  I'll  find  out  how  and  by  whom, 
and  I'll  save  him.  If  he  is  being  corrupted  morally,  is 
there  any  less  reason  why  I  should  help  him  ?  It  may 
be  the  first  time  in  his  life — and  the  last.  I  know  only 
that  I  like  him,  I  admire  his  wife,  and  if  I  can  beat  that 
gang  I'll  do  it !  Selah.  I  have  spoken." 


It  was  late  that  afternoon  when  Astro  returned  from 
his  investigations.  By  his  look,  Valeska  knew  that  he 
was  worried.  Mrs.  Tulliver  had  telephoned  and  said 
that  the  district  attorney  would  be  at  his  office  all  day 
and  would  return  directly  from  there.  From  her  tone 
it  was  evident  that  her  husband  did  not  take  the  Seer's 
assistance  so  gratefully  as  she  herself  did.  Astro  lis- 
tened with  a  frown. 

"Well,  I'll  save  him  in  spite  of  himself,  then.  I  con- 
fess it  looks  dubious.  I  saw  our  old  friend,  Lieutenant 
McGraw  of  the  detective  force,  and  he  succeeded 
in  finding  out  for  me  some  of  Tulliver's  habits.  He 
patronizes  a  small  barber  shop  on  Broadway,  opposite 
the  post-office,  but  doesn't  go  there  regularly.  Most 
often  drops  in  there  on  Saturdays.  I  went  in  and  got 
a  shave.  There  was  a  tow-headed  manicure  in  a  cor- 
ner, with  about  ten  pounds  of  bracelets  and  a  Marcel 
wave  of  the  Eighth-Avenue  type,  crisp  as  galvanized 
iron.  I  didn't  like  her,  on  several  counts ;  I  somehow 
felt  wrong  with  her.  I  had  my  nails  attended  to,  and 
she  was  too  smooth.  She  never  refuses  an  invitation 
to  dinner,  that  girl. 

"Now,"  he  continued,  "we  can't  possibly  investigate 


THE   TROUBLE   WITH   TULLIVER     195 

this  thing  from  the  Brooklyn  end.  There  are  too  many 
in  that  gang  of  boodlers  for  us  to  follow  them  all.  So 
we  have  to  trace  it  back  from  the  district  attorney,  and 
find  some  point  of  contact  with  the  aldermen.  If  Tul- 
liver  was  bought  up,  he  wouldn't  have  worked  so  hard 
up  to  Saturday  noon.  He  would  have  taken  it  easy 
and  put  his  assistants  off.  Something  must  have  hap- 
pened on  Saturday,  and  if  anything  happened,  whether 
he  was  doped  or  bribed,  the  only  place  for  it  to  have 
happened  was  in  that  barber  shop.  It's  too  bad  I  can't ; 
trail  her  to-night;  but  I  have  a  positive  appointment 
with  Colonel  Mixter.  You'll  have  to  shadow  the  man- 
icure. She  leaves  the  shop  at  six  o'clock ;  so  you  must 
hurry." 

With  that,  he  threw  himself  on  his  divan,  spread 
a  pack  of  cards  in  front  of  him,  and  began  "getting 
Napoleon  out  of  Saint  Helena."  It  was  a  habit  of  his 
when  most  puzzled  with  his  strange  problems  to  rest 
his  mind  occasionally  by  a  game  of  solitaire.  It  was  a 
sort  of  mental  bath  from  which  he  rose  always  re- 
freshed and  ready  for  a  new  attack  of  the  question  in 
hand. 

"Did  you  find  that  article  in  The  Lancet?"  he  asked 
as  Valeska  was  preparing  to  leave  the  studio. 

"No,"  was  her  reply ;  "but  I  found  a  reference  to  it 
in  an  article  on  the  anatomy  of  the  vasomotor  nerves. 
The  name  was  Weichardt,  wasn't  it?" 

"By  Jove!  that's  it!"  he  cried  joyfully.  "Weich- 
ardt, Weichardt!"  he  repeated  the  name  to  himself. 
"I'll  get  it  now!  I'll  just  let  that  boil  subconsciously 
a  while." 

Valeska  took  the  subway  down-town,  reaching  the 


196       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

barber  shop  just  in  time  to  see,  through  the  basement 
windows,  an  orange-haired  girl  putting  on  her  hat  be- 
hind a  screen  in  the  corner.  She  nodded  to  the  men 
at  the  chairs  as  she  passed  and  came  slowly  up  the 
steps  to  the  street,  still  fingering  the  terrific  pompadour 
that  jutted  from  her  forehead.  She  walked  slowly 
down  Broadway,  glancing  at  her  watch  once,  and  loi- 
tering occasionally  at  shop-windows.  It  was  evident 
that  she  was  a  bit  too  early  for  some  appointment.  At 
the  corner  of  Fulton  Street  she  stopped  and  waited. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  a  man,  smoking  a  cigar, 
came  up  to  her  and  stopped  without  lifting  his  hat. 
Then  he  took  the  girl's  arm  familiarly,  and  the  two 
walked  to  the  subway  entrance  again,  descended,  and 
took  a  Brooklyn  train,  and  got  off  at  the  Borough  sta- 
tion. 

Valeska  had  meanwhile  not  only  kept  on  their  track, 
but  had  secured  a  seat  where  she  could  watch  them  at 
close  range.  The  man  looked  like  a  political  heeler,  a 
barkeeper,  or  a  sport.  He  might  indeed  have  been  all 
three.  The  two  seemed  very  friendly;  the  girl's  stri- 
dent laugh  sounded  more  than  once  through  the  car. 
In  Brooklyn  they  went  to  a  flashy  restaurant  that  was 
generally  frequented  by  the  sporting  element.  The 
man  ordered  dinner  and  wine.  As  the  meal  proceeded, 
the  manicure's  laugh  grew  louder,  and  she  became 
more  familiar.  It  was  not  a  pleasant  sight. 

From  here  the  two  came  out  upon  the  electric- 
lighted  sidewalk,  debated  for  a  while  at  the  curb,  then 
got  into  a  street-car.  At  Waverley  Avenue  they  got 
out  and  walked  up  to  number  1321.  Here,  rather  to 
Valeska's  surprise,  the  girl  left  the  man  abruptly,  ran 
up  the  steps,  took  out  a  key,  and  entered.  The  man 


THE   TROUBLE   WITH   TULLIVER     197 

walked  slowly  back,  boarded  a  car,  and  rode  down- 
town. 

Valeska  followed  him.  She  got  out  with  him  at 
Preston  Street,  and  from  here  her  task  was  more  diffi- 
cult. Keeping  at  a  safe  distance,  however,  she  saw 
him  stop  at  a  two-story  wooden  house.  At  that  mo- 
ment a  man,  approaching  from  the  other  direction  with 
two  dogs  held  in  leash,  met  him.  The  two  entered  the 
house  together,  and  Valeska  approached  and  reconnoi- 
tered.  As  she  passed,  she  heard  the  dogs  barking,  and 
mingled  with  the  noise  was  the  sound  of  whining,  as 
of  animals  in  pain.  The  lower  windows  were  dark; 
but  the  three  above,  on  the  second  floor,  were  lighted. 
Creeping  softly  up  the  steps,  Valeska  laid  her  ear  to 
the  keyhole  and  listened.  There  was  a  low  but  distinct 
sound, — a  rumbling  as  of  wheels  turning,  wheels  with 
a  heavy  load,  as  if  some  machine  were  being  labori- 
ously worked. 


Two  days  passed,  and  each  night  Valeska  took  up 
the  scent,  following  the  manicure  girl  across  to  Brook- 
lyn as  before.  Both  times,  however,  the  girl  was  alone. 
The  first  night  she  dined  alone  at  a  little  dairy  near  the 
Borough  station  and  went  to  a  vaudeville  show  after- 
ward. The  second  night  she  went  directly  home.  The 
next  day  was  Saturday. 

"We  seem  to  have  got  nothing  yet,"  she  said  to  As- 
tro that  morning.  "I  confess  I'm  discouraged.  If  that 
man  I  saw  is  the  go-between  he  covers  his  tracks  well. 
If  he  hands  her  any  drug  or  money  it  is  impossible  for 
us  to  detect  it.  If  we  could  only  get  into  that  house 
on  Preston  Street !" 


198       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"That's  impossible,"  said  Astro  ;  "it's  too  well  guard- 
ed. I've  been  over  there  to  see  it.  I  was  looking-  for 
a  house  to  rent,  you  know,  and  found  out  enough  to 
arouse  my  suspicions.  The  neighbors  are  gossiping 
about  the  place  already.  Dogs  go  in;  but  don't  come 
out.  There  are  moans  and  howls  all  night  long,  and 
it's  getting  to  be  a  scandal.  But  to-day  I  hope  to  find 
out  something  definite  about  the  relations  that  exist 
between  Tulliver  and  that  girl.  McGraw  has  agreed 
to  tip  me  off  when  Tulliver  goes  to  the  shop,  and  I 
think  I  can  get  a  chance  to  watch  the  two  together." 

Nothing  had  been  heard  from  Mrs.  Tulliver  in  the 
meantime.  To  Valeska's  mind  that  in  itself  was  suspi- 
cious. Astro's  story  when  he  returned  did  not  relieve 
her  mind. 

"I  got  in  after  Tulliver,"  he  said,  "and  was  shaved, 
just  managing  to  miss  my  turn  with  the  manicure  lady. 
Tulliver  had  his  nails  polished,  as  usual.  She  bright- 
ened up  considerably  at  sight  of  him.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  she  was  excited.  He  talked  and  laughed  a  little 
with  her ;  but  not  enough  to  prove  any  great  intimacy. 
She  was  undoubtedly  nervous,  however.  Once  she 
went  behind  the  screen  and  did  something,  I  don't 
know  what.  But  she  had  ample  opportunity  to  convey 
a  secret  message  to  him  without  arousing  the  least 
suspicion.  I  confess  I'm  worried  about  him." 

With  this,  Valeska  had  to  be  content  for  the  time, 
and  she  heard  no  more  till  Monday  morning.  Then, 
upon  her  arrival  at  the  studio,  Astro  met  her  with  a 
black  face. 

"Tulliver  is  down  again!"  he  said  immediately. 
"Mrs.  Tulliver  telephoned  yesterday  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  while  her  husband  was  asleep.  He  abso- 


s 

3 
o 

0* 

<u 

<u 

t-i 

o 


THE   TROUBLE   WITH   TULLIVER     199 

lutely  refused  to  work,  said  he  was  exhausted,  and  in- 
sisted on  taking  a  nap.  He  said  he  wasn't  ill  at  all, 
only  felt  tired.  It  was  plain  enough  that  she  is  fear- 
fully worried  now,  and  will  help  us  out  with  informa- 
tion whether  he  objects  or  not.  You  had  better  go  and 
see  her  and  get  all  the  details." 

Valeska  lost  no  time  in  obeying  him.  Astro  threw 
himself  on  the  divan,  refused  all  comers,  and  gave 
himself  up  to  a  struggle  with  his  problem.  Something 
in  his  memory  balked.  He  was  usually  wonderfully  in 
control  of  it,  and  the  refusal  tantalized  .him. 

Valeska  returned  at  eleven  o'clock  and  reported  that 
Tulliver  had  gone  down  to  the  office,  though  still  list- 
less and  blue.  Mrs.  Tulliver's  alarm  had  increased,  and 
she  was  now  willing  to  tell  all  she  knew. 

"I  spoke  to  her  as  delicately  as  I  could  about  the 
manicure  girl,"  she  said.  "Mrs.  Tulliver  seemed  a  bit 
worried  at  the  subject.  She  said  that  Tulliver  had 
often  spoken  of  her  as  an  original  slangy  type,  whose 
conversation  refreshed  him  after  his  hard  work.  In 
fact,  that  was  his  chief  reason  for  having  his  nails 
done  there, — so  that  he  could  listen  to  the  girl's  persi- 
flage, to  which  he  didn't  even  have  to  answer.  That 
seemed  to  be  her  main  talent,  in  fact ;  for  Mrs.  Tulli- 
ver said  that  she  had  a  gift  of  gab,  rather  striking 
looks,  and  the  ability  to  create  a  high  and  showy  polish 
on  men's  nails.  She  is  clumsy,  though.  She  has  man- 
aged her  scissors  so  unskilfully  that  she  has  cut  Mr. 
Tulliver's  fingers  twice." 

Astro  jumped  to  his  feet.  "Abracadabra!"  he  ex- 
claimed, and  stood  staring  at  Valeska. 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"We're  getting  on!"     He  started  to  walk  up  and 


200       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

down.  "Let  me  think  it  over  again.  I  believe  I've  al- 
most got  it.  Leave  me  alone  here,  and  I'll  do  some 
deep-sea  diving  in  the  abysses  of  my  memory,  if  you'll 
pardon  the  metaphor.  You  look  over  the  papers  while 
I  grope  in  the  recesses." 

Valeska  left  and  took  up  the  file  of  morning  papers. 
She  was  not  gone  long,  having  found  something  al- 
most immediately  that  seemed  important  enough  to 
warrant  her  interrupting  the  Master  of  Mysteries. 

"What  do  you  think  ?"  she  exclaimed,  appearing  be- 
tween the  velvet  portieres  that  screened  the  palmist's 
vast  studio  from  the  reception-room.  "That  house  at 
number  1321  Preston  Street  has  been  raided  by  the 
police,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Society  for  the  Preven- 
tion of  Cruelty  to  Animals.  They  entered  the  place  yes- 
terday, and  found  a  sort  of  treadmill  where  two  dogs 
were  working  themselves  almost  to  death,  for  no  ap- 
parent reason  whatever.  There  was  a  bed,  a  table,  and 
chemical  things  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  lower  floor ; 
but  there  was  nothing  up-stairs  but  the  dogs,  the  tread- 
mill, and  a  table  that  looked  as  if  it  had  been  used  for 
dissection." 

Astro  had  stood  listening  to  every  word.  As  Va- 
leska spoke,  his  face  cleared.  A  smile  appeared  on 
his  lips.  He  threw  off  his  crimson  silk  robe,  tossed  his 
turban  into  a  corner,  and  on  the  instant  appeared  as 
the  virile  keen  man  of  activity. 

"I  have  it!"  he  exclaimed.  "It  is  all  over!  District 
Attorney  Tulliver  will  have  no  more  mysterious  at- 
tacks of  fatigue!  The  boodling  Brooklyn  aldermen 
will  be  prosecuted  from  now  on  with  all  despatch !" 

He  went  up  to  Valeska,  and  gently  led  her  to  a  seat, 
laughing  at  the  wonder  in  her  eyes. 


THE  TROUBLE  WITH  TULLIVER    201 

"Listen,"  he  said.  "I  had  it  all  deep  in  my  mem- 
ory ;  but  until  this  moment  I  couldn't  make  connections 
with  it  and  apply  my  knowledge  to  this  case.  Now  I 
recall  everything.  Herr  Weichardt,  a  Munich  patholo- 
gist, some  years  ago  made  some  experiments  which 
showed  that  fatigue  was  an  actual  pathological  condi- 
tion. In  other  words,  he  proved  it  was  a  disease,  by 
discovering  the  germ  and  inoculating  living  organisms 
with  it.  He  took  some  animals, — pigs,  if  I  recall  aright, 
— made  them  work  till  they  were  almost  dead  of  fa- 
tigue, then  removed  the  tired  muscles  and  extracted 
the  serum  from  them.  With  this  he  inoculated  other 
animals.  He  found  that  a  small  dose  of  his  serum  cul- 
ture caused  all  the  characteristic  symptoms  of  fatigue 
in  the  patient  and  that  a  heavy  dose  produced  even 
death." 

"But  how  could  this  gang  administer  sucri  a  poison?" 
"Through  the  manicure,  whom  they  had  engaged 
and  paid,  of  course.  All  she  had  to  do,  after  she  had 
received  the  serum  from  the  man  you  saw,  was  to  dip 
her  nail  scissors  into  the  solution,  and  then  clip  the 
cuticle  so  as  to  draw  blood.  The  merest  scratch  would 
suffice,  and  no  noticeable  sore  in  the  finger  would  be 
caused ;  but  the  toxic  germs  would  permeate  the  veins 
and  be  distributed  all  over  the  body.  It  was  the  fact 
that  she  had  cut  Tulliver's  finger  that  aroused  my 
memory ;  then  the  story  of  the  treadmill  instantly  sug- 
gested Weichardt's  experiments.  It  was  a  devilishly 
subtle  plot.  You  see,  they  didn't  dare  actually  to  poi- 
son him,  or  give  him  any  easily  recognized  disease.  All 
they  needed  was  to  put  him  out  of  business  for  a  day 
or  so  at  critical  moments  when  they  needed  time  to  pre- 
pare their  fight." 


202       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Then  you'll  tell  Tulliver?" 

"Certainly.  With  the  police  behind  him,  he  can  easily 
run  down  the  plot  and  do  what  he  wishes  about  it. 
Most  likely  he'll  see  that  the  manicure  girl  leaves  town, 
and  let  the  rest  go/' 

Valeska  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  huge  crystal  ball 
on  an  ebony  table  in  front  of  her  and  spoke  as  if  to 
herself.  "I  wish  some  other  symptoms  besides  fatigue 
could  be  transmitted  in  that  way.  One  might  infuse 
some  of .  the  district  attorney's  own  strenuosity  and 
honesty,  for  instance,  into  persons  who  need  moral 
stamina." 

"I  can  think  of  better  things  than  that  to  do."  As- 
tro gazed  dreamily  at  the  pretty  flushed  face  in  front 
of  him.  His  eyes  lingered  on  the  fair  curling  hair, 
the  lovely  curve  of  the  neck,  the  slenderly  graceful, 
girlish  hands,  the  sensitive  mouth,  the  cunningly 
molded  figure,  and  he  sighed. 

"What  would  you  try  to  give  me,  if  you  were  under- 
taking the  experiment?"  Valeska  asked  without  look- 
ing up. 

Astro  did  not  answer.  Instead  he  took  one  more 
long  tender  look  at  her.  "I  think,"  he  said  finally, 
"that  first  I  shall  have  to  treat  myself !" 


WHY  MRS.   BURBANK  RAN 
AWAY 

"O  URELY,"  said  Astro,  "until  you  have  solved  a 
O  woman's  emotional  equation,  there's  little  use  in 
trying  to  discover  her  motive.  A  woman  will  kill  a 
man  she  hates;  but  she  will  as  often  kill  a  man  she 
loves.  Now  look  at  this  letter  and  tell  me  whether  the 
writer  is  in  love  or  not."  As  he  spoke,  he  selected  a 
sheet  from  the  many  spread  out  on  his  table  and 
handed  it  to  his  assistant.  Then,  taking  up  the  stem 
of  his  narghile,  he  leaned  comfortably  back  on  his  vel- 
vet couch  and  watched  the  girl  with  amusement  and 
fondness.  His  oriental  eyes  narrowed,  and  his  olive- 
skinned,  handsome,  oval  face  under  the  white  turban 
became  a  mask. 

Valeska  took  up  the  writing  with  a  pretty  gesture 
and  scanned  it  studiously.  She  looked  up  at  last  with 
a  quick  interrogative  smile.  "She's  in  love,  I  think; 
isn't  she?" 

"Decidedly!"  The  Master  of  Mysteries  bowed 
slowly.  "The  crossings  of  the  "t's".are  almost  all  in  a 
double  curve;  it's  a  sure  sign.  But  you  notice  that 
some  of  them  have  only  a  single  curve,  like  the  lower 
arc  of  a  circle." 

"Oh,  so  they  have !  Why,  then,  she  has  had  a  previ- 
ous love-affair,  hasn't  she  ?" 

203 


204       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Yes.  She  is  sincerely  in  love  now;  though  she 
hasn't  yet  forgotten  her  first.  You  see  by  the  regularity 
of  her  terminals,  too,  that  she's  a  faithful  friend.  But 
to  return  to  the  crossings:  let  us  compare  these  with 
some  others." 

He  looked  over  the  collection  and  drew  forth  an- 
other specimen.  "Here  you  see  a  woman  that  has  had 
but  one  affair,  and  has  quite  outlived  it.  The  arc  is 
that  of  the  top  of  a  circle,  you  see.  Here's  one  who  is 
beginning  to  be  in  love.  You  will  observe  the  same  arc 
as  in  the  first, — a  rising  curve,  but  no  compound 
curves.  If  you  thoroughly  understand  this  principle, 
we'll  go  on  to  a  study  of  terminals  and  gladiated 
words."  As  he  spoke  his  face  lighted  up  with  enthu- 
siasm. 

A  bell,  softly  tinkling,  interrupted  him.  With  a  sud- 
den gesture  he  swept  all  the  letters  into  a  heap  and 
tossed  them  into  a  drawer.  That  done,  he  became 
again  the  calm  impassive  Seer.  He  drew  his  red  silken 
robe  about  him  as  Valeska  rose  to  answer  the  bell.  He 
followed  her  svelt  graceful  form  with  alert  eyes  till 
she  disappeared  in  the  waiting-room ;  then  they  fell  ab- 
stractedly on  the  slow,  gracefully-rising,  blue,  per- 
fumed smoke  of  the  censer  in  a  corner  of  the  dim  stu- 
dio and  remained  there  until  the  curtains  again  parted. 

The  visitor  was  a  fine  military  type  of  man,  with 
white  mustache  and  iron-gray  hair,  tall  and  well-built, 
but  with  a  face  drawn  and  haggard.  He  strode  up  to 
Astro  with  a  determined  air.  The  Seer  awaited  the 
first  words  calmly. 

"My  name  is  Burbank,"  the  man  began, — "Major 
Burbank,  retired.  I  have  come  to  you  on  an  important 
and  delicate  piece  of  business,  at  the  advice  of  a  friend 


WHY   MRS.    BURBANK   RAN   AWAY     205 

who  has  told  me  of  your  reputation  for  solving  mys- 
teries. I  trust,  sir,  that  you  will  consider  what  I  have 
to  say  to  you  as  confidential  ?" 

Astro  nodded  and  made  an  expressive  gesture. 

"My  wife  left  our  home  yesterday  afternoon,  leav- 
ing a  very  painful  letter  for  me.  I  wish  to  know,  sir, 
if  you  think  that  you  can  discover  her  whereabouts  for 
me  without  precipitating  a  scandal.  I  have  the  greatest 
wish  that  this  matter  should  not  be  known  unless  it  is 
absolutely  necessary/' 

Astro  bowed  and  pointed  to  a  chair,  seating  himself 
as  well.  "I  am  ready,  sir,"  he  replied.  "If  you  will 
acquaint  me  with  the  details,  I  think  I  can  do  what 
you  wish." 

"There  are  no  details,"  the  visitor  broke  out ;  "that 
is,  none  but  this  letter.  Everything  was  all  right;  we 
were  happily  married ;  my  wife  and  I  loved  each  other. 
We  have  two  children,  whom  she  has  abandoned.  It's 
incredible,  sir!  There  is  absolutely  no  reason  for  it  at 
all,  so  far  as  I  can  see.  But  look  at  this,  and  imagine 
what  I  have  to  suffer !" 

He  took  a  letter  in  an  envelope  from  his  pocket  and 
handed  it  to  the  Seer. 

Astro  looked  over  the  envelope  carefully  then  opened 
the  letter  and  read  the  following  message : 

"My  DEAR,  DEAR  GEORGE — I  shall  never  see  you 
again.  Don't  try  to  find  me.  I'm  going  to  finish  a 
long  bitter  wretchedness.  Forgive  me  if  you  can ; 
for  I  have  suffered.  Farewell.  ELLEN." 

His  eyes  ran  over  the  pen  strokes  carefully.  He 
looked  at  the  back  of  the  envelope  again,  then  held  it 
sensitively  in  his  hands,  keeping  a  serious  silence  for 


2o6       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

a  few  minutes.  His  gaze  became  abstracted.  For  sev- 
eral minutes  he  did  not  speak,  seemingly  falling  into 
a  deep  reverie.  Then  he  said : 

"My  dear  sir,  your  wife  is  still  alive,  and  I  think 
I  can  find  her.  But  I  get  from  the  radiations  of  this 
writing  a  conviction  that  she  is  in  great  mental  distress 
which  it  is  not  well  for  you  to  break  in  upon  just  yet. 
I  should  prefer  that  you  permit  me  to  inspect  your 
house  and  see  if  I  can  not  discover  the  reason  for  this 
surprising  action.  By  visiting  the  place  where  she  was 
last,  I  shall  the  more  readily  be  impressed  by  her  mag- 
netism and  get  the  vibrations  that  have  undoubtedly 
affected  her.  First  of  all,  I  must  ask  you  to  send  me 
immediately  several  photographs  of  Mrs.  Burbank,  that 
I  may  fix  her  image  in  my  mind." 

Major  Burbank  had  stood  looking  at  him  with  a 
tense  anxious  look.  "Is  that  necessary?"  he  said,  "I 
had  hoped  that,  if  you  had  the  occult  power  you  claim, 
you  could  do  it  more  simply." 

"If  you  wish  to  help  her — "  Astro  shrugged  his 
shoulders. 

"Help  her!  It's  just  that!"  he  exclaimed.  "I  want 
to  save  her,  even  more  than  I  want  to  find  her." 

"That  goes  without  saying.  Very  well.  Only  a  few 
more  questions,  so  that  I  may  be  prepared  for  what- 
ever influences  I  may  find.  Who  lives  in  your  house  ?" 
He  added,  "Including  servants,  of  course." 

"Besides  my  wife  and  myself,  only  the  cook,  a  sec- 
ond girl,  and  a  nurse." 

"Who  are  your  most  frequent  visitors  ?" 

"Why,  let's  see.  Ellen  has  a  lot  of  women  friends 
who  run  in  occasionally,  of  course." 

"No,  the  men." 


WHY   MRS.    BURBANK   RAN    AWAY     207 

The  major  looked  at  him  sternly.  "See  here,  sir! 
If  you  attempt  for  a  moment  to  hint  that — " 

"My  dear  Major  Burbank,"  Astro  replied  amiably, 
"I  hint  at  nothing.  All  I  wish  is  to  be  able  to  distin- 
guish between  the  astral  emanations  of  those  who  fre- 
quent your  place.  It  is  possible  that  Mrs.  Burbank  was 
most  affected  by  a  woman ;  but  it  is  not  likely." 

The  major,  still  frowning,  replied :  "We  lead  a  very 
quiet  life.  My  friend  Colonel  Trevellian  is  the  only 
close  friend  of  the  family.  But  I  must  tell  you,  sir, 
that  my  wife  has  of  late  confessed  to  me  that  she  did 
not  like  him.  It  has  made  it  very  uncomfortable  for 
me,  I  assure  you.  But  I  saw  him  only  to-day.  He  can 
have  nothing  to  do  with  this  disappearance,  I'm  sure. 
I  have  known  him  for  several  years  quite  intimately, 
and  he's  the  last  person — " 

"I  understand/'  said  Astro  dryly ;  "but  has  he  heard 
of  Mrs.  Burbank's  disappearance  ?" 

"No,  I  haven't  had  the  heart  to  tell  him." 

"Very  good.  I  should  advise  you  not  to.  Well,  I 
will  call  this  afternoon.  I  think  we  shall  be  able  to  sat- 
isfy you." 

As  soon  as  the  visitor  had  gone,  Valeska  appeared. 
Astro  handed  her  Mrs.  Burbank's  letter,  with  a  curi- 
ous look.  She  examined  it  under  the  drop-light  at  the 
table. 

"She  is  in  love ;  but  has  had  a  previous  affair,  just 
like  that  other  woman.  How  curious !  And  she's  suf- 
fering from  a  severe  mental  strain,  too.  I  heard  the 
major's  conversation  while  I  was  in  the  secret  closet. 
It's  interesting,  isn't  it  ?  Do  you  suppose  she  has  out- 
grown her  feeling  for  her  husband  and  is  in  love  with 
his  friend  now?" 


208        THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Or  is  she  in  love  with  her  husband  and  has  out- 
grown her  affection  for  Colonel  Trevellian — that's 
what  we  have  to  find  out."  Astro  shook  his  head. 

"You  said  you  knew  she  was  alive,  though.  How 
can  you  be  sure  that  is  true  ?" 

"You  haven't  half  examined  that  envelope,"  Astro 
replied  abstractedly,  as  he  walked  up  and  down,  his 
chin  in  his  hand,  supporting  the  elbow  with  his  other 
arm,  absorbed  in  thought. 

"It's  postmarked  New  York,  though—  Oh,  I  see !" 
Valeska  smiled  at  him.  She  had  turned  back  the  top 
flap,  which  adhered,  loosely  gummed,  and  looked  at  the 
imprint  of  the  stationer.  "Hodge  &  Durland,  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y."  she  read.  "She  may  be  there,  perhaps. 
But  how  did  she  mail  it  here  in  New  York  ?" 

"No  doubt  she  gave  a  porter  a  dollar  at  the  station 
to  post  it  when  his  train  got  into  the  city.  Perfectly 
simple.  You'll  notice  that  the  envelope  is  badly  crum- 
pled'and  soiled.  It  has  evidently  been  carried  some 
time  in  a  man's  pocket. 

"Now,"  he  continued,  taking  off  his  robe  and  tur- 
ban, "I  wish  to  lose  no  time;  so  I'll  go  right  over  to 
the  Burbanks',  while  you  wait  for  the  photographs.  As 
soon  as  they  come,  take  the  first  train  for  Poughkeep- 
sie,  and  see  if  you  can  locate  Mrs.  Burbank.  It's  un- 
likely she  is  still  there ;  yet  she  may  be." 

"And  if  I  find  her?" 

"Keep  her  in  sight,  wire  me,  and  await  instructions." 

"I  see."  Valeska  bent  her  brows  in  thought.  "If 
she's  gone,  of  course  I'll  try  to  tn.ce  her,  if  I  can  get 
it  out  of  the  hotel  clerks." 

"If  you  can?"  Astro,  struggling  into  a  long  gray 
overcoat,  paused  long  enough  to  smile  at  his  assistant. 


WHY   MRS.   BURBANK   RAN   AWAY     209 

In  return  she  made  a  mischievous  face  at  him.  He 
blew  a  kiss  to  her,  and  taking  his  stick  and  silk  hat, 
left  the  studio. 

His  green  limousine  took  him  in  ten  minutes  to  a 
brownstone  house  on  West  Fifty-second  Street,  one  of 
a  row  of  gloomily  respectable  fronts.  A  butler,  im- 
pressively solemn,  ushered  him  into  the  parlor. 

Astro  was  about  to  sit  down  when  the  man  said : 

"I'm  sorry  to  say  that  Major  Burbank  has  been  un- 
expectedly called  away,  sir,  and  left  instructions  that 
you  should  see  anything  you  wished."  His  voice 
dropped  in  tone  as  he  added  somberly,  "The  fact  is, 
sir,  the  major  had  just  heard  a  piece  of  shocking  news. 
His  brother  has  just  committed  suicide,  sir,  and  he 
has  gone  up  to  Kingsbridge  to  see  about  it,  sir. 
He  was  very  much  upset,  of  course,  sir;  but  he  told 
me  to  do  wliat  was  necessary  for  you.  So  if  you  are 
ready  I'll  show  you  everything." 

"Is  Mrs.  Burbank  in?"  Astro  asked. 

"No,  sir,  she  is  not,  I  understand  an  aunt  was  taken 
ill  and  she  has  gone  out  of  town  to  attend  to  her.  She 
left  yesterday  afternoon,  sir,  directly  after  lunch,  in  a 
great  hurry,  sir." 

"In  a  hurry?"  Astro  repeated,  watching  the  impas- 
sive countenance  of  the  servant. 

"Yes,  sir ;  so  much  so  that  she  never  stopped  to  hang 
up  the  telephone  receiver,  sir.  I  expect  the  call  was 
from  her  aunt's  people,  though  she  got  a  letter  in  the 
morning  that  did  seem  to  upset  her,  too." 

"Ah !"  The  Master  of  Mysteries  knitted  his  brow, 
and  sat  for  a  few  moments  without  speaking,  while  the 
butler  stood  erect,  waiting  like  a  lay  figure.  Astro 
looked  up  at  him  suddenly,  with  a  keen  searching 


2io       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

gaze,  and  for  a  moment  a  startled  expression  passed 
over  the  man's  face. 

"So  Mrs.  Burbank  has  gone  to  her  aunt's  ?"  he  said 
deliberately. 

"That's  what  she  said,  sir." 

"Do  you  believe  it?" 

The  butler  shifted  his  feet  uneasily.  "It's  hardly  for 
me  to  say,  sir." 

"See  here !"  Astro  rose  and  took  the  fellow  by  the 
lapel  of  his  coat.  "You're  quite  right,  my  man.  It 
isn't  for  you  to  suspect  anything,  of  course.  But  if  I 
know  anything  about  human  nature,  you  are  devoted 
to  the  major,  and  you're  to  be  trusted.  Now  see  here ! 
I'm  here  to  help  him  in  this  matter;  but  anything 
I  find  out  from  you  shall  go  no  further.  Do  you  un- 
derstand?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  the  butler  replied  uneasily.  "The  major 
said  I  was  to  obey  your  instructions  to  the  letter,  sir." 

"There  is  one  thing  that  I  want  to  know,  my  man, 
and  that  is,  did  Mrs.  Burbank  write  to  Colonel  Tre- 
vellian  before  or  since  she  went  away?" 

"I  can't  say,  sir,  as  to  that." 

The  Seer  still  looked  at  the  man  searchingly,  as  if 
sending  his  will  and  thought  through  his  eyes  to  fas- 
cinate and  charm.  The  man's  attitude,  as  he  watched 
Astro,  changed  subtly  from  suspicion  to  confidence. 
Gradually  he  lost  the  conventional  stolidity  of  the 
servant  and  became  more  human. 

"All  I  want  to  see  is  the  envelope  of  that  letter,"  As- 
tro said,  watching  his  man. 

The  butler  hesitated.  "I  might  possibly  find  out 
from  the  colonel's  man,  sir.  I'm  well  acquainted  with 
him,  and  I've  done  him  favors  in  times  past." 


WHY   MRS.    BURBANK   RAN   AWAY    211 

"See  if  you  can  get  it ;  and  meanwhile  I'll  go  up  into 
Mrs.  Burbank's  room." 

The  butler  showed  the  way  up-stairs  and  left  the 
Master  of  Mysteries  alone.  Once  the  door  was  shut, 
Astro  gave  a  swift  look  about  the  chamber,  then  walked 
to  a  writing-desk.  Everything  was  in  order,  and  not 
a  letter  was  visible.  From  here  he  turned  to  the  open 
grate.  The  fire  was  out,  and  only  a  few  ashes  re- 
mained. These  he  examined  carefully.  On  the  top 
were  a  few  flakes  of  carbonized  paper,  crumpled  like 
black  poppy  petals.  With  a  deft  finger  he  drew  these 
from  the  grate  and  carried  them  to  the  desk,  placing 
them  on  a  white  blotter.  On  the  wrinkled  surface,  al- 
most invisible,  were  some  traces  of  writing,  appearing 
as  if  slightly  embossed  on  the  surface.  He  could  make 
out  only  one  word,  or  part  of  a  word:  "Kellem." 
The  closest  scrutiny  revealed  no  more  writing ;  but  on 
one  charred  fragment  he  discovered  the  remains  of  a 
postage-stamp.  It  was  curiously  shrunk  to  half-size, 
and  appeared  as  a  negative,  in  which  all  that  had  been 
white  was  black,  and  the  red  ink  changed  to  gray. 

By  the  time  he  had  accomplished  this  delicate  ma- 
nipulation, the  butler  had  returned. 

"I  found  the  letter,  sir;  but  it  hasn't  been  opened 
at  all.  It  seems  that  the  colonel  didn't  come  home  last 
night,  and  hasn't  returned  yet.  I  got  it  out  of  William  ; 
but  he's  in  a  mortal  terror,  sir,  and  he  wants  me  to 
bring  it  back  at  once.  Do  you  think  it  will  take  you 
long,  sir?" 

"About  ten  minutes ;  but  I  shall  have  to  be  alone." 

"You're  not  going  to  open  it,  sir!  It's  as  much  as 
William's  place  is  worth  to  be  caught  at  this  game." 

"No,  I  won't  open  it.    I  only  wish  to  see  the  writ- 


212       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

ing.     Come  back  in  ten  minutes,  and  I'll  let  you  have 
it  back." 

As  soon  as  the  butler  had  gone  Astro  drew  from  his 
pocket  a  bottle  of  alcohol  and  a  velvet  sponge.  With 
this  he  moistened  the  envelope,  and  it  became  as  trans- 
parent as  tracing-paper.  The  letter  inside  was  so 
folded,  however,  that  he  could  read  only  one  line,  in  a 
nervous,  hurried  handwriting  which  he  recognized  as 
Mrs.  Burbank's: 

"I  can  not  bear  it  any  longer.  If  you  don't — " 

He  opened  the  window,  set  the  envelope  in  a  draft, 
and  waited.  In  ten  minutes  he  took  it  up,  smelled  of 
it,  and  went  out  of  the  room.  The  butler  was  anx- 
iously waiting,  and  received  it  with  relief. 

"One  moment,  before  you  go,"  said  Astro.  "I'd 
like  to  see  the  nursery  and  the  children." 

The  butler  led  the  way  and  opened  a  door  on  the 
third  floor.  Two  children,  one  about  four  and  the 
other  two  years  old,  were  playing  on  the  floor  with 
building  blocks,  while  a  nursemaid  was  busy  at  the 
window  with  some  sewing.  The  butler  retired  to  re- 
turn the  letter. 

Astro  went  to  the  children  and  knelt  down  beside 
them,  showing  by  his  manner  that  he  was  not  only 
fond  of  children  but  used  to  them.  He  did  not  speak 
at  first,  sitting  with  them,  smiling,  and  playing  with  the 
blocks  as  if  he  himself  was  of  their  age.  The  elder, 
a  boy,  seeing  him  arranging  a  pile  of  blocks,  crawled 
over  to  watch  and  help  him.  As  the  two  sat  there  to- 
gether, the  other  baby  stared  at  Astro.  Then  she  put 
out  her  two  arms  and  cried : 

"Kellem!    Kellem!" 


WHY   MRS.   BURBANK  RAN   AWAY    213 

Astro  stared  in  surprise.  It  was  the  same  word, 
evidently,  that  he  had  found  on  the  ashes  of  Mrs.  Bur- 
bank's  letter.  He  turned  to  the  nurse,  who  apparently 
had  noticed  nothing  unusual. 

"What  does  she  mean  by  that?"  he  asked. 

"Oh,  that  'Kellem,  kellem'?  Why,  I  don't  know, 
I'm  sure,  sir.  I  fancy  it's  one  of  the  games  they  play 
with  Colonel  Trevellian.  He  often  comes  in  here  for 
a  romp  with  the  kiddies,  and  they  seem  to  be  fond  of 
him.  I've  heard  Agatha  say  that  before ;  but,  lord !  I 
never  thought  to  wonder  about  it.  It  is  funny,  isn't 
it?" 

Again  the  child  reached  out  her  arms  and  repeated 
the  words,  "Kellem,  kellem!" 

"Did  she  ever  play  that  particular  game  with  her 
mother,  nurse?" 

"I  don't  remember,  sir,  I'm  sure.  I  expect  so, 
though.  Seems  to  me,  now  I  think  of  it,  I  did  hear 
Mrs.  Burbank  trying  to  break  Agatha  of  it;  but  no 
doubt  I've  got  it  mixed  up." 

Astro  watched  the  children  for  some  time;  then, 
after  kissing  each  of  the  chubby  faces,  went  thought- 
fully down-stairs. 

He  had  no  sooner  reached  the  hall  than  the  outer 
door  opened,  and  Burbank  entered  with  a  serious  ex- 
pression on  his  face.  He  bowed  and  shook  his  head 
sadly. 

"My  misfortunes  are  all  coming  at  once,  it  seems," 
he  said.  "My  brother  is  dead,  my  wife  missing.  It's 
too  much  for  me,  and  I'm  afraid  I'll  have  to  call  in  the 
police  and  put  them  on  the  case.  I  can't  stand  it  any 
longer ;  unless — unless  you  have  discovered  some  way 
of  helping  me,"  he  added. 


2i4       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"When  did  your  brother  die  ?"  Astro  asked. 

"As  far  as  we  can  learn,  early  this  morning.  The 
gas  was  turned  on  in  his  room,  and  he  was  found  at 
eight  o'clock,  dead  from  the  fumes.  They  were  un- 
able to  locate  me  till  four  this  afternoon,  when  I  went 
right  over  and  did  what  was  necessary." 

"He  lived  alone,  I  presume  ?" 

"Yes,  not  even  a  servant.  The  body  was  discovered 
by  a  friend  whom  he  had  asked  to  call,  who  smelled  the 
gas  and  had  the  door  broken  in.  I  can't  account  for 
it  any  way." 

"Did  Mrs.  Burbank  ever  visit  his  apartment?"  As- 
tro asked. 

"Yes.  Occasionally  when  he  was  ill,  she  went  over 
and  took  him  things  necessary."  He  stopped  and 
stared  at  the  Master.  "But  you  don't  suspect  that — 
that  there's  any  connection  between  Mrs.  Burbank's 
disappearance  and  my  brother's  death  ?" 

"I  should  like  to  investigate  your  brother's  apart- 
ments," said  Astro  evasively.  "I  may  be  able  to  re- 
ceive some  impression  there  that  will  lead  me  on  the 
track.  I  have  succeeded  in  harmonizing  the  vibrations 
in  Mrs.  Burbank's  apartments,  and  feel  already  that  I 
understand  her  mental  condition  when  she  left  home. 
But  there  is  a  strange  discord  there,  Mr.  Burbank,  and 
I  must  complete  the  impression." 

"Here  is  my  card,  then.  I'll  write  a  note  asking  that 
you  be  given  the  fullest  opportunity  for  investigation 
on  the  premises.  Of  course  the  body  has  been  taken 
to  the  morgue,  and  the  police  are  in  charge  of  the 
apartment;  but  I  think  you  will  have  no  trouble  with 
them." 

"One  more  thing,  Mr.  Burbank.    I'd  like  to  know  if 


WHY   MRS.   BURBANK  RAN   AWAY    215 

Mrs.  Burbank  was  ever  hypnotized,  that  you  know  of." 

"Why,  only  once,  possibly  twice,  at  an  evening  party 
here.  We  did  have  some  rather  amusing  experiments 
this  fall ;  but  it  was  nothing  but  fun,  of  course." 

"And  who  was  it  that  hypnotized  her  that  time?" 
asked  the  Seer. 

"Why,  my  friend  Colonel  Trevellian.  He  fancied 
that  he  had  some  power,  and  did  succeed  in  influencing 
one  or  two  of  the  company,  my  wife  included.  But 
nothing  further  ever  came  of  it,  and  we  never  tried  it 
again." 

"Has  the  colonel  known  your  wife  long?" 

"Yes,  since  before  we  were  married.  But,  my  dear 
sir,  you  don't — " 

"Mr.  Burbank,  at  present  I  am  merely  holding  my- 
self sensitive  to  whatever  influences  I  come  in  contact 
with,  that's  all.  As  soon  as  I  have  soaked  myself  in 
them,  so  to  speak,  I  shall  go  into  a  trance  and  be 
guided  by  subconscious  mind.  I  don't  know  about 
these  things  at  all.  I  observe,  I  listen,  I  smell ;  but 
what  works  these  impressions  out  in  me  is  deeper  than 
mere  sense  or  mere  ratiocination.  You  must  wait  pa- 
tiently, and  hope  for  the  best." 

He  left  Burbank  disconsolate  in  the  library,  and 
jumping  into  his  limousine,  the  Master  of  Mysteries 
drove  to  the  studio.  Here  a  telegram  awaited  him. 
It  was  from  Valeska : 

"She  is  in  Troy.   Shall  find  her  this  evening  and 
wire  address." 

He  despatched  an  answer,  and  hurrying  to  the  sub- 
way, took  an  express  to  Kingsbridge. 

On  the  way  his  face  belied  the  confident  patter  by 


216       THE  MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

which  he  had  imposed  upon  his  client.  His  eyes  were 
fixed,  his  mouth  set.  Occasionally  he  drew  from  his 
pocket  a  note-book  and  consulted  its  contents,  staring 
at  the  page  for  minutes  at  a  time.  As  the  train  slowed 
down,  he  became  alert  again,  and  when  it  stopped  he 
waited  only  long  enough  to  ask  for  directions,  then 
walked  briskly  to  Burbank's  apartment. 

The  note  insured  a  grudging  admittance,  and  he  was 
taken  up-stairs  by  an  officer  into  a  little  flat.  The  place 
was  meagerly  furnished  as  a  bachelor's  quarters.  A 
look  into  the  kitchen  revealed  a  few  utensils  and  pack- 
ages of  food  strewn  about  in  a  disorderly  manner.  The 
sitting-room  was  scantily  furnished,  but  in  better  or- 
der. Astro  gave  it  a  glance.  The  chamber  where  Bur- 
bank  had  died  next  engrossed  his  attention.  Here  he 
spent  a  half-hour  in  elaborate  scrutiny.  Still  he  ap- 
peared dissatisfied.  Excusing  himself  to  the  officer,  he 
opened  the  back  door  and  inspected  the  platform.  Here 
he  saw  an  ash  barrel  and  a  can  for  refuse.  He  opened 
the  cover  of  each  in  turn.  Lighting  a  match,  he  looked 
eagerly  into  them. 

In  a  moment  he  had  drawn  out  a  broken,  hollow, 
black-rubber  cylinder,  and  after  assuring  himself  that 
he  had  all  the  fragments,  slipped  them  into  his  overcoat 
pocket.  He  then  returned  inside. 

"You  have  no  doubt  that  the  death  was  caused  by 
suicide,  I  suppose,  officer?" 

"Of  course  not.  There's  no  evidence  to  the  con- 
trary that  I  know  of." 

"No  one  was  known  to  have  visited  him  the  night 
before  he  died?" 

"The  people  down-stairs  say  they  heard  footsteps 
late  that  night;  but  it  may  have  been  anybody.  No- 


WHY   MRS.    BURBANK   RAN   AWAY     217 

body  heard  the  Hoor  shut.     Or  if  they  had,  how  was 

it  possible  to  turn  on  the  gas?    The  door  was  locked 

on  the  inside,  as  they  found  when  they  burst  it  in." 
"And  the  rear  entrance  was  locked,  too  ?" 
"That,  too.    It  was  a  suicide,  all  right." 
"Of  course.    Very  well,  then,  that's  all.    I'll  report 

to  the  major.  Good  night,  Officer." 
Astro  hurried  back  to  the  subway  station.     As  he 

reached  the  ticket  taker  he  drew  a  photograph  from  his 

pocket  and  handed  it  to  the  man. 

"Did  you  see  a  woman  like  this  last  night,  late  ?" 
He  looked  at  it  for  some  time  before  he  answered. 

"I  wouldn't  be  sure  about  that ;  but  I've  certainly  seen 

her  several  times.    I  can't  recall  just  when  was  the 

last  time." 

"That's  all,"  said  Astro,  and  he  handed  the  man  a 

dollar,  ran  down-stairs,  and  boarded  the  express  for 

down-town. 

Another  telegram  from  Valeska  was  lying  under  his 
door  when  he  reached  the  studio.  After  reading  it,  he 
hastily  scribbled  two  despatches  and  rang  for  a  messen- 
ger. One  read : 

"Your  child  Bobby  has  been  taken  ill  with 
pneumonia  and  is  at  a  private  hospital,  at  number 
234  West  Thirty-fourth  Street.  Come  at  once. 
Important." 

This  was  addressed  to  Mrs.  Belle  Grant,  Delmar 
House,  Troy,  New  York.  The  other  was  sent  to  Va- 
leska Wynne. 

"Follow  B.  G.  wherever  she  goes,  and  get  ac- 
quainted with  her  if  possible  but  do  not  let  her 
know  you  know  her." 


218       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

Then,  yawning,  he  took  off  his  coat,  rolled  up  his 
shirt-sleeves,  and  sat  down  to  a  table  under  the  electric 
light.  Here  he  laid  out  the  pieces  of  the  cylinder  he 
had  found,  and  with  liquid  glue  started  laboriously  to 
piece  them  together.  One  by  one  he  fastened  them 
and  warmed  them  over  a  Bunsen  burner  till  they  were 
dry.  The  work  was  long  and  arduous,  and  it  was  al- 
most daylight  before  he  had  finished  the  job.  The 
cylinder  was  now  complete,  except  for  an  irregularly 
shaped  hole  at  one  extremity.  With  a  penknife  he 
trimmed  the  protruding  glue,  and  then  examined  the 
whole  through  a  magnifying-glass.  Not  till  it  ap- 
peared to  satisfy  his  inspection  did  he  desist.  But  at 
last  the  thing  was  done,  and  without  undressing  he 
threw  himself  on  the  great  velvet  couch  under  a  trophy 
of  arms  and  fell  sound  asleep. 

His  pet  cat  Deodar,  a  handsome  black  Angora, 
awakened  him  at  nine  o'clock  by  clawing  at  his  sleeve, 
and  Astro  jumped  up  and  went  to  the  telephone.  A 
half-hour  later,  tubbed,  and  clad  in  his  flowing  red  silk 
robe,  his  turban  and  its  moonstone  clasp  on  his 
head,  he  sipped  his  thick  black  coffee  and  munched  his 
rolls  as  he  read  in  the  morning  paper  the  accounts  of 
the  suicide  of  Edward  Burbank.  Nothing  new  to  in- 
terest him  had  transpired. 

As  he  sat  there  the  bell  rang,  and  soon  a  boy  in  but- 
tons entered,  carrying  a  parcel.  Astro  opened  it,  and 
took  from  a  box  a  phonograph,  which  he  set  on  the 
table.  He  was  a  bit  excited  now,  as  he  fitted  his 
mended  cylinder  to  the  drum  and  started  the  clock- 
work. 

The  wheels  whirred;  a  harsh  dry  voice  announced 
a  song  by  a  well-known  comedian.  After  a  preliminary 


WHY  MRS.   BURBANK  RAN   AWAY    219 

orchestral  flourish,  tHe  solo  began.  Astro  listened 
eagerly.  The  melody  was  constantly  interrupted  by 
discordant  explosive  noises  caused  by  the  joining  of 
the  broken  pieces ;  but  with  these  interruptions  the  song 
ran  on  for  a  while  fairly  intelligibly.  Then  there  was 
a  splitting  series  of  crackling  noises.  From  the 
silence  following  these  there  came  a  sudden,  loud,  mo- 
notonous exclamation,  "Kellem,  kellem,  kellem,  kell — " 

Astro,  staring,  stopped  the  machine  and  reseated 
himself,  to  fall  into  a  profound  reverie.  At  times  he 
shook  his  head.  Once  he  rose  to  take  Mrs.  Burbank's 
letter  from  a  pigeonhole,  and  scrutinized  it  long  and 
carefully.  At  last,  with  a  shrug,  he  took  up  his  nar- 
ghile and  a  volume  of  French  memoirs.  Smoking  and 
reading,  the  time  passed  away  till  ten  o'clock. 

The  first  visitors  were  sent  away  by  Buttons.  Astro 
would  not  be  disturbed.  At  eleven,  the  telephone  bell 
rang.  The  Master  of  Mysteries  took  up  the  receiver 
eagerly. 

It  was  Major  Burbank.  "I  have  just  received  a  let- 
ter," he  said,  "and  I  thought  it  would  be  well  for  you 
to  know  the  contents.  It  is  from  my  unfortunate 
brother  Edward,  and  in  it  he  tells  me  that  he  is  con- 
templating suicide.  The  poor  fellow  was  in  ill  health 
and  financial  straits,  and  the  fact  that  he  had  been  a 
care  to  me  seemed  to  worry  him.  It's  dreadful  to 
think  of  his  having  been  distressed  over  the  little  I  was 
able  to  do  for  him ;  but  I  feel  quite  sure  that  he  was 
not  sane  when  he  committed  his  desperate  act.  The 
poor  fellow  is  at  rest  in  peace  now,  I  trust.  I  almost 
wish  I  were." 

Astro's  expression  had  changed  wonderfully  as  he 
heard  the  news.  He  hastened  to  offer  his  sympathy 


220       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

anew  to  his  client,  and  assured  him  that  it  was  only  a 
question  of  a  few  hours  before  his  wife  would  return. 
This  promise  seemed  to  quiet  the  old  man's  distress. 
Astro  went  back  into  the  studio  with  a  new  expression, 
at  once  determined  and  jubilant.  He  sat  down,  wrote 
a  note,  and  despatched  it  by  a  messenger  boy.  This 
done,  he  set  the  phonograph  carefully  at  the  beginning 
of  the  strange  exclamation  that  interrupted  the  song 
on  the  record,  and  waited. 

In  a  half-hour  Buttons  opened  the  heavy  portieres, 
announced  "Colonel  Trevellian!"  and  a  man  walked 
in. 

The  visitor  looked  about  scornfully.  He  was  a  lean, 
yellow,  bony-faced  man,  with  deep-set  eyes  and  a 
drooping  mustache.  He  spoke  with  a  drawl.  "I  be- 
lieve you  requested  to  see  me  on  a  matter  of  impor- 
tance and  of  a  confidential  nature,"  he  observed  lan- 
guidly. 

"I  did,"  Astro  replied.  "I  am  about  to  make  a  re- 
quest of  you." 

"Indeed,  you  do  me  a  great  honor."  The  man's  tone 
was  sarcastic. 

Astro  scarcely  looked  at  him.  "I  should  be  infinitely 
obliged  to  you,  Colonel  Trevellian,  if  you  would  con- 
sent to  pack  up  your  things,  leave  New  York  and  not 
return  for  five  years." 

The  colonel  scowled,  took  a  step  nearer,  and 
clenched  his  fist.  "You  infernal  charlatan!  if  you'll 
take  off  that  nightgown  and  sweeping-cap,  I'll  see  that 
you  don't  decorate  this  cozy  corner  any  longer !  What 
the  deuce  do  you  mean?  By  Jove !  I'll  thrash  you  and 
pitch  you  out  of  your  own  window !" 

Astro  yawned.     Then  he  brought  his  two  hands 


WHY   MRS.   BURBANK   RAN   AWAY     221 

down  on  his  knees,  and  his  dark  alert  head  was  out- 
stretched toward  the  colonel,  on  whom  he  turned  two 
blazing  eyes.  "Colonel  Trevellian,"  he  said  in  a  voice 
like  the  rattling  of  paper,  "you  have  persecuted  Mrs. 
Burbank  long  enough !  If  you  fancy  you  understand 
the  art  of  hypnotic  suggestion,  I  can  show  you  that 
you're  a  fool  as  well  as  a  cur.  For  her  sake  I  consent 
to  permit  you  to  leave  town  without  informing  the 
major  exactly  what  kind  of  a  cad  you  are,  but  you'll 
have  to  leave  quickly." 

The  colonel  had  already  lost  the  most  of  his  nerve ; 
but  he  made  a  last  attempt  to  bluster.  "What  do  you 
mean,  sir?  I've  done  nothing  at  all,  I  assure  you. 
You're  quite  mistaken.  Why,  the  major  is  my  best 
friend !" 

"And  do  you  not  wish  to  supplant  him  as  husband 
of  your  old  sweetheart,  Mrs.  Burbank?" 

"Of  course  not.  It's  absurd."  The  colonel's  face 
was  ashen  now. 

"And  you  did  not  suggest,  after  hypnotizing  her  and 
getting  her  somewhat  under  your  influence,  that  she — " 

The  man  stared  hard  at  Astro,  and  his  jaw  had 
dropped.  "That  she — what  ?"  He  almost  whispered  it. 

Astro  touched  the  phonograph.  "Kellem,  kellem, 
kell — "  it  ground  out  raucously. 

The  colonel  stared  first  at  the  mechanism,  then  at 
the  palmist.  He  dropped  a  step  back,  undecided,  then, 
turning  suddenly,  bolted  out  of  the  room. 

Astro  dropped  again  into  his  chair,  folded  his  arms, 
and  drew  a  long  breath. 

The  hansom  drew  up  at  number  234.  A  woman  got 
out,  paid  the  driver,  and  looked  curiously  at  the  front 


222       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

door.  Apparently  puzzled,  she  drew  a  telegram  from 
her  purse  and  read  it  over.  She  was  a  fine-looking 
woman  of  thirty-five,  dressed  all  in  black,  even  to  her 
furs,  though  she  wore  no  mourning  veil.  Her  only 
luggage  was  a  small  traveling  bag.  Everything  about 
her  stamped  her  as  a  woman  of  culture  and  influence, 
if  not  rich,  at  least  comfortably  off.  Yet  her  demeanor 
was  timid,  almost  frightened. 

As  she  started  to  ascend  the  steps,  a  green  motor- 
car, driving  furiously,  came  down  Thirty-fourth  Street 
and  drew  up  suddenly  before  her.  A  young  girl,  fresh 
and  pretty,  smartly  dressed,  and  with  an  air  of  jaunty 
confidence,  jumped  out. 

The  woman  who  had  first  arrived  stared  at  her  in 
astonishment.  "Why,"  she  said,  "how  do  you  happen 
to  be  here?"  The  look  of  perplexity  and  timidity  in 
her  eyes  deepened  now  into  positive  alarm.  "Oh!" 
she  breathed,  "you're  not  a  detective  ?" 

Valeska  took  her  hand  affectionately.  "No,  my  dear 
Mrs.  Burbank,  only  a  friend  who  wants  to  help  you. 
I  knew  that  if  I  told  you  on  the  train  you'd  never  come 
here;  so  I  didn't  dare  to  explain  that  we  had  really 
imposed  upon  you.  Bobby  is  quite  well,  I  assure  you. 
You  needn't  worry  on  his  account.  And  I  hope  on 
no  other  account  either ;  for  I'm  sure  that  by  this  time 
the  Master  has  been  able  to  straighten  things  out." 

"The  Master?"  Mrs.  Burbank  gasped. 

"Yes,  Astro,  the  Master  of  Mysteries,  my  employer 
and  my  friend,  as  I'm  sure  he  is  yours.  Your  hus- 
band secured  his  services,  for  no  one  else  would  have 
been  able  to  find  you  and  help  you  without  danger  of 
publicity.  Come  right  up  and  you'll  hear  from  him 
that  everything  is  all  right." 


"  Oh,"  she  breathed,  "  you're  not  a  detective  ?  " 


WHY   MRS.   BURBANK  RAN   AWAY    223 

"Oh,  if  it  only  were!"  The  woman  followed  Va- 
leska  hopelessly. 

Ten  minutes  after  that  Mrs.  Burbank  sat  smiling  in 
the  studio.  Astro  had  told  her  that  there  would  be 
nothing  more  to  fear  from  the  persecutor  who  had 
made  the  last  few  weeks  hideous.  She  had  herself 
confessed  everything;  how,  after  that  first  hypnotic 
sleep,  the  colonel  had  given  her  persistently — so  often 
that  it  drove  her  almost  distracted — the  horrible  sug- 
gestion that  she  kill  her  husband.  She  had  struggled 
hard  against  it;  but  the  iteration  of  the  words  "Kill 
him!"  so  distorted  as  to  be  unintelligible  to  any  one 
else,  coming  now  in  letters,  now  over  the  telephone, 
now  from  the  innocent  lips  of  her  own  child,  had  finally 
unstrung  her  mind ;  and,  for  fear  lest  in  her  distress  she 
should  actually  commit  the  crime,  she  had  run  away 
to  get  out  of  the  colonel's1  power. 

"When  I  went  away,"  she  concluded,  "I  thought  I 
had  destroyed  every  evidence  that  might  enable  my 
husband  to  know  how  I  had  been  tormented;  that  is 
every  piece  but  one, — the  phonograph  cylinder.  I  was 
afraid  I  could  not  destroy  that,  and  feared  to  leave  it 
in  the  house.  I  took  it  with  me  when  I  went  to  see 
Edward,  hoping  that  I  should  find  some  place  to  con- 
ceal it.  But  every  one  seemed  to  be  watching  me,  and 
I  was  too  nervous  to  risk  throwing  it  away.  So  when 
I  got  to  Edward's  apartment  I  left  it  there  in  the  ash 
barrel.  I  had  intended  to  tell  him  everything  and 
ask  his  advice,  but  the  poor  fellow  was  so  blue  that  I 
didn't  have  the  heart  to  worry  him  with  my  own  trou- 
bles and  I  left  him  without  saying  anything." 

She  looked  curiously  at  Astro.  "I  can't  imagine  how 
you  ever  found  out.  It's  wonderful !" 


224        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

Astro's  look  was  cryptic.  "My  dear  Mrs.  Burbank," 
he  replied,  "such  a  nervous  force  as  yours  is  intensely 
dynamic;  it  effects  a  disturbance  of  the  ether,  and  to 
one  sensitive  to  such  vibration  the  message-impression 
is  as  plain  as  the  ringing  of  a  bell." 

Valeska  smiled  and  folded  her  hands. 

"But  now  what  am  I  to  tell  my  husband?"  Mrs. 
Burbank  exclaimed.  "If  he  knows  everything  he'll 
want  to  kill  Colonel  Trevellian !" 

"The  colonel  will  take  himself  out  of  harm's  way, 
I'm  sure,"  said  Astro.  "He  has  had  his  warning. 
There  is  only  one  possible  way  that  I  know  of  plausi- 
bly explaining  your  absence." 

Valeska  looked  up  swiftly,  as  if  to  anticipate  his  ex- 
planation. 

"What  can  I  say?"  Mrs.  Burbank  said  doubtfully. 

"The  truth — a  woman's  last  resort."  And  Astro  fa- 
vored her  with  a  rather  cynical  smile. 


MRS.  SELWYN'S  EMERALD 


ASPING  at  the  splendor  of  the  scene,  the  won- 
derful  house,  the  gorgeously-arrayed  company, 
the  terrifying  magnificence  of  the  servants  in  livery, 
Valeska  grabbed  Astro's  arm  tightly,  trembling.  He 
patted  her  hand  and  smiled.  A  pompous  butler  bent 
his  head  to  hear  their  names,  then  bellowed  them  into 
the  salon: 

"Monsieur  Astro  and  Miss  Wynne  !" 

As  they  made  their  way  toward  their  hostess,  the 
buzz  of  conversation  in  the  reception-room  was  for  a 
moment  hushed.  Women  watched  through  curious 
eyes  the  distinguished,  picturesque  figure  of  the  Mas- 
ter of  Mysteries,  whispered  to  one  another,  and  noted 
critically  the  face  and  costume  of  the  beautiful  girl 
who  accompanied  the  lion  of  the  evening.  Men 
glanced  with  amused  contempt  at  Astro's  oriental 
face,  and  scrutinized  Valeska  Wynne  more  indul- 
gently. The  murmur  arose  again,  and  the  temporary 
stillness  that  had  followed  the  announcement  of  Astro's 
name  gave  way  to  motion,  laughter  and  persiflage. 

The  room  fairly  scintillated  with  lights,  reflected 
from  the  cut-glass  pendants  of  the  silver  electroliers, 
smoldering  in  the  dusky  gold  carvings,  twinkling  from 
the  jewels  on  women's  necks  and  breasts,  gleaming 
from  the  polished  oak  parquetry  floor.  The  large 

225 


226       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

double  salon  of  the  Selwyns  was  about  half  filled; 
there  were  not  yet  too  many  present  to  hide  the  ele- 
gance of  the  highly  decorated  Louis  XIV  rooms  which 
enclosed  the  brilliant  company  as  in  an  ornate  frame. 
The  ceiling,  frescoed  in  the  panels  with  nymphs  and 
cupids,  seemed  faintly  to  reflect  the  life  below ;  the  tall 
mirrors  multiplied  the  complexity  of  mysterious  dis- 
tances. There  was  an  odor  of  winter  roses  which 
mingled  with  the  perfumes  of  dainty  women.  An  or- 
chestra sounded  languorously  from  the  balcony  at  the 
head  of  the  wide  staircase. 

"I'm  delighted !"  Mrs.  Selwyn  exclaimed  effusively, 
leaning  gracefully  forward  with  a  swanlike  movement. 
She  was  a  deliciously,  almost  a  foolishly  pretty  crea- 
ture, with  her  bright  smile  accented  by  a  black  beauty- 
spot  at  the  corner  of  her  mouth,  her  slender  little 
fingers  flashing  with  jewels,  her  lovely  neck  and  her 
fair  hair.  It  was  hard  to  believe  her  a  matron. 

Astro,  in  his  masculine  way  as  striking  a  figure  as 
she,  presented  his  assistant.  Valeska  seemed  more 
human  than  either.  There  was  little  artifice  in  her  ap- 
pearance; her  costume  was  girlishly  simple.  One  was 
not  tempted  even  for  a  moment  to  let  his  eyes  wander 
from  her  earnest  pretty  face. 

"I'm  so  glad  to  see  you,  Miss  Wynne !"  Mrs.  Sel- 
wyn scarcely  gave  her  a  glance  and  returned  spiritedly 
to  Astro.  "My  dear,"  she  said  archly,  "I  had  no  idea 
that  I  had  captured  such  a  lion.  People  are  simply 
wild  about  you!  Why,  I've  made  a  sensation  already 
by  merely  inviting  you,  I  assure  you  !  Not  that  I  didn't 
know  you  were  famous  and  popular  and  all  that,  of 
course;  but,  dear  me,  it's  a  positive  rage!  You  have 
no  idea  what  stories  I've  been  hearing  about  you! 


MRS.    SELWYN'S    EMERALD  227 

They  say  you  can  read  one's  thoughts  and  go  through 
a  stone  wall,  and  eat  fire,  and  conjure  the  dead — and 
dear  knows  what !  I'm  actually  afraid  of  you !" 

"And  I  of  you  also,  madam, — in  that  gown." 

She  spread  her  hands  demurely  down  her  sides  and 
looked  up  at  him  from  under  her  lashes.  She  wore  a 
costume  of  silken  mesh,  sheer  and  delicate,  over  cloth 
of  silver,  touched  daringly  with  black.  The  top  of  her 
corsage  was  caught  together  by  an  immense  square-cut 
emerald,  set  in  small  blue  diamonds.  Mrs.  Selwyn  was 
evidently  not  beyond  being  pleased  at  Astro's  compli- 
ment ;  but  her  look  suggested  an  unsatisfied  desire. 

"They're  expecting  something  wonderful,"  she 
hinted. 

Astro  frowned.    "My  dear  lady — "  he  began. 

She  nodded  and  shook  her  fan  lightly.  "Oh,  yes, 
I  know.  I  shan't  ask  you,  of  course.  I  promised. 
But  at  the  same  time  if  something — anything — should 
happen,  you  know,  it  would  be  perfectly  lovely;  and 
it  would  make  the  thing  go,  wouldn't  it?  Oh,  and 
there's  an  Italian  countess  here,  whose  hand  I'm  sim- 
ply dying  to  have  you  read !" 

Valeska,  smiling  amusedly  at  the  hostess'  prattle, 
was  about  to  turn  away,  when  Mrs.  Selwyn  caught  her 
hand  eagerly. 

"It  was  so  good  of  you  to  come  on  so  unconventional 
an  invitation!  We  must  make  you  at  home.  You 
shall  have  positively  all  the  men  you  want;  I  have 
armies  of  'em  to-night.  And  perhaps,"  here  Mrs. 
Selwyn  became  almost  coquettish,  "you  may  have 
more  influence  with  Astro  than  poor  I.  Do  talk  to 
him !  Countess  Trixola  will  be  so  disappointed  if  you 
don't  succeed!" 


228       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

A  fresh  group  of  guests  here  interrupted  her,  and 
she  turned  to  welcome  them. 

Valeska  took  Astro's  arm  again,  and  he  led  her  to 
a  corner  of  the  room  where  they  could  view  the  assem- 
bly. 

"I  see  what's  coming,"  he  began  hurriedly.  'Til 
be  at  my  wits'  end  to  avoid  doing  parlor  tricks  to 
amuse  this  crowd,  in  spite  of  what  Mrs.  Selwyn  prom- 
ished.  I  shan't  have  much  time  to  attend  to  you,  my 
dear.  But,  really,  you  did  beautifully.  Nobody  would 
ever  imagine  that  you  were  born  in  an  East  Side  tene- 
ment. Why,  I  think  you  can  tell  the  would-be's  and 
the  bounders  as  quickly  as  I  can,  already.  It's  all 
worth  seeing,  and  I  want  you  to  use  your  eyes.  Watch 
every  little  thing  as  if  it  were  all  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance and  you  were  to  use  every  bit  of  information  you 
acquired.  But  don't  on  any  account  lose  sight  of  me, 
if  you  can  help  it,  and  watch  for  my  signals.  Be  ready 
for  anything.  It's  the  accidents  of  life  by  which  we 
profit,  and  there  is  no  predicting  accidents.  Give  me 
the  'up  and  down'  sign  if  you  discover  anything  par- 
ticularly interesting.  Well,  I'll  see  that  you  are  intro- 
duced. I'm  going  to  be  mobbed." 
i  "Here's  the  countess,  I'll  wager,"  Valeska  said. 

A  tall,  ashen-haired,  limp  and  insipid  youth  was 
bearing  toward  them,  escorting  a  vivacious  green- 
eyed  brunette,  with  a  narrow  alert  face  and  eyes 
heavily  shadowed.  Nearer,  those  dark  eyes  seemed 
a  bit  hard  and  glassy;  but  they  were  quick.  She  was 
considerably  made  up ;  but  her  rouge  had  been  applied 
cleverly. 

Astro  had  time  only  to  remark  out  of  one  corner 


MRS.   SELWYN'S   EMERALD  229 

of  his  mouth,  "Look  at  her  right  hand !"  and  then  the 
countess  was  fairly  bubbling  over  him. 

Valeska  gave  the  hand  a  glance.  It  hung,  white- 
gloved,  lightly  by  her  side,  the  first  and  second  fingers 
tentatively  outstretched,  the  third  and  fourth  curled 
toward  the  palm,  the  thumb  projecting. 

"You  are  Astro  the  Palmist,  aren't  you?"  the 
woman  asked  gaily,  tipping  her  head  to  one  side  and 
peeping  over  her  fan.  "Mrs.  Selwyn  said  I  mustn't 
bother  you ;  but  I  do  hope  something  extraordinary 
is  going  to  happen !  We're  expecting  something  quite 
miraculous,  after  all  we've  heard  about  your  occult 
powers !"  % 

"My  dear  Countess,"  said  Astro  a  bit  cynically, 
"even  saints  must  have  holidays.  I'm  afraid  I  am  out 
of  miracles  to-night." 

"But  at  least  you  can  tell  me  something  about  my- 
self before  you  go  ?"  she  insisted. 

Astro  smiled  quizzically.    "Surely  not  in  public?" 

The  pale  youth  burst  into  a  guffaw. 

The  countess  shook  her  finger  at  him  airily.  "Why, 
my  life  is  an  open  book !"  she  protested. 

"Be  careful  that  it's  open  at  a  blank  page,  then." 

The  pale  youth  again  bellowed  and  was  struck  on 
the  shoulder  by  the  countess'  fan. 

"Oh,  I  hope  I'm  naughty  enough  to  be  nice,"  she 
said  demurely. 

"Madam,"  said  Astro,  with  a  queer  expression,  "I 
doubt  if  you  could  be  either  naughtier  or  nicer." 

"Now,  what  d'you  mean  by  that  ?"  she  cried.  "Why, 
positively  I  don't  know  whether  it's  the  best  kind 
of  compliment  or  the  worst  kind  of  insult!" 


230       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"I  leave  it  to  your  conscience — and  your  vanity," 
said  Astro  calmly. 

She  laughed  it  off  and  turned  to  Valeska.  "Does 
he  say  such  enigmatical  things  to  you,  too?"  she 
asked. 

"Oh,  he  doesn't  dare,"  said  Valeska.  "He  knows 
that  I'd  take  them  all  as  compliments." 

The  group  was  now  joined  by  others  eagerly  press- 
ing about  them  to  listen  to  the  dialogue.  The  fame  of 
the  Master  of  Mysteries  had  grown  wonderfully  with 
the  reports  of  his  recent  exploits  and  his  reputation 
as  a  palmist  was  almost  eclipsed  by  his  fame  as  a  seer 
and  solver  of  inexplicable  problems.  The  distinction 
of  his  appearance  and  the  charm  of  his  manner  gave 
him  a  personal  influence  as  well,  and  on  this  first 
appearance  in  society  in  the  role  of  guest  he  was,  as 
Mrs.  Selwyn  had  said,  an  immense  success. 

Valeska's  reception  was  as  flattering.  She  had 
passed  the  ordeal  of  introduction  cleverly.  The  men 
flocked  to  this  pretty  blond  girl  with  the  blue  eyes,  as 
to  a  popular  heiress.  Unused  as  she  had  been  to  fash- 
ionable life,  her  native  wit  and  confidence,  combined 
with  Astro's  own  support,  carried  her  through  with 
colors  flying.  The  affair  soon  resolved  itself  into  a 
rivalry  among  the  women  for  Astro's  whimsical  notice, 
and  among  the  men  for  Valeska's  flashing  sallies. 

To  all  hinted  requests  for  character  readings,  the 
palmist  offered  polished  and  affable  excuses.  He 
seemed  as  much  at  home  in  this  smart  company  as  in 
his  own  picturesque  studio.  Women  gathered  about 
him,  fascinated  by  his  romantic  personality,  and  rather 
pleasantly  afraid  of  his  powers  as  an  occultist.  Mrs. 
Selwyn  persistently  showed  him  off;  but,  anxious  as 


I  hope   I'm  naughty   enough  to   be  nice,"   she   said  demurely. 


MRS.    SELWYN'S    EMERALD  231 

she  evidently  was  to  make  her  reception  a  success, 
kept  to  the  letter  of  her  promise,  and  did  not  ask  him 
to  perform  any  tricks  for  the  company. 

The  salon  filled.  The  talk  became  gayer.  Astro 
had  no  time  now  to  speak  confidentially  to  Valeska; 
but  from  time  to  time  he  sent  her  a  look,  a  motion  of 
head  or  hand,  which  directed  her  attention  to  one  or 
another  of  the  party.  The  quick-witted  girl  watched 
him  everywhere  he  went,  and  followed  his  cues  on  the 
instant.  Long  practise  had  made  it  easy  for  her  to 
communicate  with  him  thus;  but  this  was  the  first 
public  test  of  her  facility.  She  played  their  game  with 
a  new  zest,  her  bright  eyes  and  high  color  alone  be- 
traying her  excitement. 

At  last  supper  was  announced,  and  as  the  company 
paired  off  and  began  to  leave  for  the  great  dining- 
room,  Astro  succeeded  in  eluding  his  worshipers  and 
captured  Valeska  for  a  few  hasty  words. 

"There's  something  in  the  air,"  he  said  under  his 
breath.  "Can't  you  feel  it?  I  don't  know  just  what 
it  is,  but  there  is  something  sinister  impending.  Don't 
laugh.  This  is  not  mere  professional  jargon.  You 
know  I'm  sensitive  to  this  sort  of  thing.  I  never  felt 
it  more  strongly." 

"I  have  felt  so  too,  but  I  thought  it  was  a  mere 
fancy." 

"Cultivate  those  fancies,  my  dear;  they're  the  in- 
choate beginnings  of  intuitions.  Nothing  comes  by 
chance.  There's  a  reason  for  every  whim  we  have, 
and  you  must  learn  to  trace  it." 

"I  don't  like  that  green-eyed  woman.  I  wonder  if 
she  is  really  a  countess  ?" 


232       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

He  smiled  in  amiable  derision.     "Are  you?" 

Valeska's  eyes  dilated.    "Who  is  she?" 

"That  I  don't  know.  I've  tried  her  with  all  sorts  of 
traps ;  but  she  is  too  clever." 

"Oh,  she's  bad,  I  know  that ;  but  she  fascinates  me." 

"She  came  alone,  in  a  hired  cab,  Mrs.  Selwyn  told 
me.  They  got  acquainted  through  mutual  friends  in 
Florence.  That's  all  I  know,  except — " 

He  had  lowered  his  voice  to  a  whisper,  and  was 
leaning  toward  Valeska  to  continue,  when  the  woman 
in  question  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  dining-room, 
cast  a  sharp  glance  up  the  hall,  and  espied  them. 

"Aren't  you  coming  in,  Monsieur?"  She  smiled  be- 
witchingly. 

"In  a  moment,  Countess." 

"I  want  to  know  if  you're  magician  enough  to  tell 
me  what  Mrs.  Selwyn's  punch  is  made  of.  It's  the 
most  mysterious  thing  I  ever  saw." 

"If  it's  as  mysterious  as  you  are,  my  dear  Countess, 
I'll  have  to  admit  I  can't  fathom  it." 

She  dropped  a  courtesy,  tipping  her  head  roguishly 
to  one  side,  and  withdrew.  Astro's  eyes  followed  her. 
He  was  much  amused. 

"Looking  for  some  one,"  Valeska  suggested  lacon- 
ically. 

Astro  nodded.  "Oh — did  you  see  that  chap  with  a 
pompadour  and  a  curled  blond  mustache?" 

"Yes.  One  eye  was  bigger  than  the  other, — the 
right  one." 

"Watchmaker.  Comes  from  screwing  up  his  right 
eye  in  his  lens  and  using  it  so  much.  Or  possibly — 
by  Jove!  a  diamond  cutter!  Queer,  isn't  it?" 

"Decidedly.     But  they  seem  to  be  sure  enough  of 


MRS.   SELWYN'S   EMERALD  233 

their  position  here.  They're  as  well  received  as  the 
other  guests." 

"There's  something  awry.  I  wish  I  could  get  it. 
It's  all  there  in  my  brain,  but  I  haven't  time  to  think 
it  out,  now  and  here.  Never  mind.  Only  wait,  and  be 
ready!  Come,  we'll  go  in.  I'll  talk  to  you  later. 
Here's  Mrs.  Selwyn  now." 

Their  hostess  sailed  past  on  a  young  man's  arm,  and, 
holding  out  a  hand,  carried  Astro  in  with  her  to  a  seat 
at  the  end  of  the  room.  Valeska  was  promptly  annexed 
by  Selwyn,  a  short,  puffy  little  man  with  mutton-chop 
whiskers  and  a  fat  stomach.  He  had  the  air  of  not 
being  at  all  at  home  in  his  own  house.  Nobody  could 
seem  so  harmless  and  timid  as  this  chubby  round- 
faced  host.  He  might  have  been  an  awkward  serv- 
ant, in  his  endeavors  to  efface  himself.  Seeing  Valeska 
left  alone,  he  offered  his  arm  in  a  sudden  access  of 
courage.  She  was  not  like  the  others,  and  apparently 
he  was  not  afraid  of  her. 

"Infernal  humbug,  all  this  sort  of  thing !"  he  grum- 
bled. 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean?"  she  answered,  a  little 
surprised. 

"Having  this  fool  palm-reader  here,  and  all  that. 
Bosh!" 

Valeska  could  scarcely  repress  a  titter.  But  Selwyn 
was  evidently  quite  serious  about  it.  Seeing  that  he 
had  no  idea  who  she  was,  she  humored  him. 

"It  is  nonsense,  of  course,"  she  said  gravely;  "but 
I  think  that  Mr.  Astro  is  quite  modest  about  it,  don't 
you?" 

"Oh,  he's  all  right, — he  has  to  make  a  living,  I  sup- 
pose,— but  the  women  make  such  fools  of  themselves 


234       THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

about  him.  I  might  as  well  give  a  monkey  dinner  and 
be  done  with  it!" 

Muttering  thus,  in  an  inconsequent,  petulant  way, 
he  led  her  into  the  dining-room,  where  she  was  im- 
mediately surrounded  by^men  who  offered  her  chairs, 
plates  and  refreshments.  Selwyn,  more  than  ever 
disgruntled,  retired  to  the  wall,  against  which  he  flat- 
tened himself,  and  gloomily  regarded  the  crowd. 
Valeska,  besieged  as  she  was,  threw  him  a  smile  and 
a  remark  occasionally,  pitying  his  discomfort  and  his 
timidity. 

Meanwhile,  her  eyes  were  busy  in  the  room.  Once 
she  caught  sight  of  the  green-eyed  countess  talking 
with  the  pompadoured  man,  and  she  noted  a  certain 
surreptitious  haste  in  their  encounter.  Was  it  furtive, 
suggestive,  or  did  she  merely  fancy  it?  From  them, 
her  glance  wandered  to  the  group  of  which  Astro, 
with  Mrs.  Selwyn,  was  the  center.  The  countess 
joined  it,  sparkling,  vivid,  keen.  A  heavy  soggy  dow- 
ager in  black  silk,  with  an  astoundingly  low-cut  dress, 
plump  round  neck  and  innumerable  curls  in  her 
gray  hair,  was  absorbed  in  Astro's  conversation. 
A  debutante,  as  fresh  as  a  lily,  ingenuous,  eager, 
bright-eyed  with  curiosity,  leaned  over  his  shoulder, 
holding  out  her  hand  for  him  to  read.  Valeska  heard 
little  gushes  of  laughter  whenever  he  spoke.  She  had 
never  before  seen  him  in  such  a  company,  and  it 
amazed  her  to  see  how  he  dominated  it,  how  his  mag- 
netism radiated  and  drew  one  after  another  into  his 
circle  of  influence. 

So  it  went  on  for  half  an  hour,  until  the  party  began 


MRS.    SELWYN'S   EMERALD  235 

gradually  to  leave  the  room,  drifting  out  in  twos  and 
threes,  all  more  or  less  stimulated  by  the  supper  and 
the  champagne  to  an  increasing  good  fellowship.  All, 
that  is,  excepting  poor  Selwyn,  who  seemed  to  shrink 
smaller  and  smaller.  He  hardly  spoke  to  anybody, 
except  to  apologize  to  some  woman  for  stepping  on 
her  train,  or  to  call  a  waiter  to  pass  cigars  or  wine. 
His  round  eyes  winked  continually,  and  his  lips  moved 
as  if  he  were  talking  to  himself.  When  Valeska 
looked  at  him  with  an  arch  smile,  he  beamed  like  a 
child  upon  her  for  an  instant,  and  the  next  all  the  light 
went  out  of  his  face. 

She  met  Astro  in  the  hall,  passed  him,  and  caught 
a  sign.  It  was  the  "up  and  down"  signal  this  time, 
denoting  whom  she  was  to  observe, — a  glance  up  to 
the  ceiling,  and  down  to  his  feet.  His  hand  touched 
his  hair  with  a  little  flourish.  The  man  with  the 
pompadour!  She  had  it  as  plain  as  words  could 
tell  it. 

She  drifted  away  and  sought  the  man  with  the 
pompadour.  He  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  The  party 
was  now  humming  with  talk  and  laughter,  and  the 
double  salon  was  crowded.  The  orchestra  swept  into 
a  Hungarian  rhapsody  which  seemed  to  waft  a  wave 
of  abandon  into  the  room.  The  men  who  followed  her 
flirted  persistently;  it  was  all  she  could  do  now  to 
parry  their  jests  and  at  the  same  time  keep  track  of 
what  was  going  on  about  her.  Astro  was  standing 
near  the  center  of  the  room  in  a  group  of  wonderfully 
dressed  and  dangerously  pretty  women,  each  perfect, 
finished,  poised,  yet  animated  and  merry.  Their  little 
aigrets  nodded  as  they  talked  and  laughed.  Selwyn, 


236       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

his  hands  in  his  pockets,  moodily  effaced  himself  be- 
hind the  piano  in  the  corner.  Every  time  he  saw 
Valeska,  he  beamed. 

As  she  stood  near  the  great  hall  doors,  new  men 
were  continually  brought  up  to  her  to  be  introduced, 
each  with  a  new  compliment  or  a  flippant  remark  or  a 
joke,  each  showing  a  friendly  rivalry  with  the  others. 
Valeska  enjoyed  it  all  excitedly.  She  could  hear  a 
nervous  pitch  in  her  voice,  as  she  shot  her  frivolous 
retorts ;  but  the  newness  of  it  all  stimulated  her.  For 
the  moment  she  lost  sight  of  the  pompadoured  man. 
She  was  gazing  across  the  room  to  where  Mrs.  Selwyn 
stood,  when — 


Suddenly  the  lights  in  the  two  electric  chandeliers 
went  out.  The  room  for  an  instant  seemed  as  black 
as  night.  Several  women  cried  out  in  fright,  and  then 
a  light  chorus  of  laughter  rippled  round  the  room 
hysterically.  In  the  instantaneous  cessation  of  talk, 
a  shuffling  of  feet  was  for  a  moment  all  that  was  heard. 

The  picture  in  Valeska's  view  remained  for  a  mo- 
ment in  her  eyes  as  clear  as  a  photograph  against  the 
darkness;  Mrs.  Selwyn,  merry,  jubilant,  talking  to  a 
fat  old  man;  behind  her  the  dowager,  the  debutante, 
the  pale  youth,  all  talking  together ;  and  a  little  aloof, 
the  countess,  with  a  strange  expression,  and  her  fan 
pressed  to  her  lips,  looking  in  Valeska's  direction — as 
if  she  were  giving  a  sign !  Then  the  picture  faded ;  a 
babble  of  voices  arose.  Mounting  over  them  all,  ris- 
ing to  a  scream,  came  Mrs.  Selwyn's  excited  cry: 

"Oh!    Stop!    Help!    I'm  robbed!" 

Valeska  at  the  same  moment  felt  a  man  rush  swiftly 


MRS.    SELWYN'S    EMERALD  237 

past  her,  and  there  was  a  sharp  twitch  at  the  side  of 
her  waist. 

Then  another  voice  came  like  a  bark,  swift,  stern, 
mandatory,  abrupt,  angry.  "Light  up,  there,  imme- 
diately !  The  switch  is  at  the  side  of  the  door.  Don't 
any  one  dare  to  move  till  we  have  a  light !" 

At  last,  after  a  frightened  half-minute,  full  of  whis- 
pers and  shocked  expletives,  the  lights  sprang  up 
again,  and  showed  a  room  full  of  shocked  agonized 
faces.  Every  one  looked  at  his  neighbor  with  startled 
eyes.  A  louder  buzzing  of  talk  arose,  only  to  cease 
suddenly  again  as  Selwyn,  pushing  his  way  into  the 
middle  of  the  room,  took  command  of  the  situation, 
like  a  general. 

"Nobody  shall  move  a  step  here  until  we  find  out 
what's  the  matter!  My  wife  has  lost  her  brooch,  the 
Selwyn  emerald.  You  all  know  it.  I  insist  that  every 
one  keep  his  place  until  it  is  found !" 

What  had  awakened  to  the  little  man  ?  At  the  crisis 
he  had  changed  from  a  bashful  boy  into  a  wilful  as- 
sertive man,  dominating  the  room  with  his  resolution. 
The  talk  swept  excitedly  about  the  place  now;  each 
questioned  his  neighbor,  or  stared  spellbound.  Mean- 
while Selwyn  had  walked  to  the  folding  doors  and 
rolled  them  shut  with  a  bang.  Then,  red-faced,  with 
a  fierce  scowl,  he  strode  back  to  his  wife : 

"Now,  who  was  near  you,  Betty?" 

"Oh,  I  don't  remember  exactly,"  she  answered  hys- 
terically. "All  I  know  is  that  when  the  lights  went 
out  some  one  came  up  to  me  and  I  felt  a  snatch  at  my 
corsage — see  where  the  lace  is  torn !  Somebody  stole 
it.  It's  preposterous !" 

"Search  everybody !"  somebody  called  out 


238        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"No,  no !"  cried  others. 

"See  if  it  hasn't  dropped  on  the  floor!" 

For  a  moment  every  one  spoke  at  once,  and  the  con- 
fusion was  maddening.  Then  suddenly  clapping  his 
hands  for  silence,  and  speaking  as  sharply  as  an  officer 
commanding  his  soldiers,  Astro's  voice  rose  over  the 
tumult.  He  had  sprung  upon  a  chair,  and  his  fine 
head  appeared  above  the  throng. 

"Mr.  Selwyn,  let  me  find  the  brooch !  There  will  be 
no  trouble,  no  unpleasantness  for  any  one.  Let  every 
one  keep  his  place  until  I've  finished,  and  I'll  promise 
to  discover  the  emerald." 

A  clapping  of  hands  all  over  the  room  responded  to 
his  speech.  Instantly  the  mood  of  the  company  re- 
laxed from  its  nervous  strain  of  uncomfortable  embar- 
rassment and  suspicion  to  an  amused  interest. 

But  Selwyn  shook  his  head  savagely.  "No,  indeed ! 
None  of  your  parlor  tricks,  thank  you!  I  will  send 
for  the  police  immediately.  Meanwhile,  every  one  in 
this  room  is  my  prisoner.  Those  who  object  must  nec- 
essarily be  regarded  with  suspicion." 

"Oh,  George !"  Mrs.  Selwyn  pleaded,  "do  let  Astro 
try  it !  I'm  sure  he'll  be  able  to  do  it.  He's  so  clever, 
and  he  has  done  such  marvelous  things!" 

"Yes,  yes !    Let  him  try  it !"  came  from  every  one. 

Selwyn  hesitated,  looking  half-contemptuously  at  the 
palmist.  "How  do  you  propose  to  find  it?"  he  asked 
finally. 

Astro  put  his  hand  to  his  head  and  drew  his  brows 
together.  "I  already  feel  an  influence  disturbing  this 
gathering,"  he  said.  "I  shall  be  drawn  inevitably  to- 
ward the  person  who  committed  the  theft,  as  if  by  a 


MRS.    SELWYN'S   EMERALD  239 

magnet.  Or  at  least  I  shall  be  drawn  to  the  emerald," 
he  added. 

"Bosh !"  Selwyn  exclaimed.  "That's  all  poppycock ! 
What  I  want  is  a  good  detective  and  a  police  officer  or 
two  to  search  every  man  and  woman  in  the  room." 

At  this  there  came  an  indignant  chorus  of  protest; 
the  guests  stirred  uneasily. 

"Mr.  Selwyn,  do  you  believe  in  the  X-ray?"  Astro 
asked. 

The  little  man  grunted,  "Yes,  I  do;  but  this  is  no 
time  for  a  lecture !" 

"One  moment,  please,  however!  Nobody  knows 
in  just  what  part  of  the  spectrum  the  X-rays  lie,  except 
that  they  are  beyond  the  ultraviolet.  They  are  visible 
only  with  the  fluoroscope.  Nobody  knows  just  where 
the  so-called  actinic  rays  lie,  either.  They  are  invisible 
also ;  but  they  react  upon  a  plate  sensitized  with  nitrate 
of  silver.  Where  are  the  N-rays,  which  emanate  from 
the  human  body  ?  Nobody  knows ;  but  I  tell  you,  Mr. 
Selwyn,  that  they  are  registered  in  the  gray  matter  of 
my  brain.  I  am  sensitive  to  them,  as  no  one  else  has 
been,  consciously,  for  centuries.  And  it  is  that  sensi- 
tiveness that  I  propose  to  utilize.  No  thought  can 
exist  without  modifying  the  molecular  structure  of  the 
brain  cells  in  the  thinker.  That  change  acts  upon 
the  ether,  and  is  transmitted  in  vibratory  form.  Is  it 
not  possible  that  those  ether  waves  can  react  upon  the 
molecules  in  my  brain  and  set  up  a  corresponding 
change  to  that  made  by  the  original  thought?  Mr. 
Selwyn,  I'll  prove  it!" 

Astro's  voice  had  risen  to  a  strident  tone,  compelling 
and  incisive.  Every  one  looked  at  him  eagerly.  There 


24o       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

was  a  hush.  Then  a  volley  of  exclamations  broke  out 
like  a  storm,  and  Selwyn's  last  objections  were  swept 
away. 

At  last  the  host,  overborne,  and  himself  piqued  with 
curiosity,  gave  a  gesture  of  acquiescence.  Astro 
stepped  down  from  his  chair,  with  a  fixed  look  in  his 
eyes,  and  gazed  eagerly  to  right  and  left.  He  paused 
one  moment,  standing  with  his  hand  to  his  forehead, 
his  little  finger  pointed  upward.  Valeska  saw  and 
read  the  signal: 

"Follow  the  person  I  point  out !" 

He  then  walked  up  to  the  dowager  with  whom  he 
had  been  at  supper-time.  "Will  you  kindly  take  off 
your  left  glove,  Mrs.  Postlethwaite  ?"  he  asked. 

"The  idea!"  she  ejaculated.  "Why,  what  do  you 
mean?  Do  you  dare  insinuate  that  I  took  Mrs.  Sel- 
wyn's brooch?" 

Her  eyes  were  wide  open  as  a  doll's,  and  her  anger 
was  ludicrous  to  the  company  who  watched  her.  For 
the  first  time  since  the  lights  went  out,  there  was  a 
hearty  laugh  all  over  the  salon. 

"Silence!"  Astro  commanded  harshly.  He  turned 
to  the  gaping  matron.  "Madam,  you  must  do  what  I 
ask,  and  do  it  quickly,  so  as  not  to  delay  the  recovery ! 
If  you  are  innocent  you  have  nothing  to  fear.  If  you 
hesitate,  we  can't,  of  course,  be  blamed  for  suspecting 
you." 

She  stared  at  him  indignantly,  muttering  to  herself, 
but  tugged  at  her  glove  nevertheless.  He  took  her 
bared  hand  and  inspected  the  palm.  Then  he  took  her 
right  hand,  gloved  as  it  was,  and  inspected  that. 

He  left  her  as  suddenly  as  he  had  come,  however, 
with  no  comment  whatever,  and  darted  to  the  young 


MRS.    SELWYN'S    EMERALD  241 

debutante  who  had  also  been  of  his  group  in  the  din- 
ing-room. 

"Quick,  Miss  Preston!"  he  said.  "Take  off  your 
left-hand  glove!" 

Miss  Preston  was  young  enough  and  thoughtless 
enough  to  take  the  situation  lightly,  and  obeyed  him 
with  a  smile.  He  gave  her  palm  a  glance,  then  turned 
her  hand  and  looked  at  the  back.  Then  he  left  her 
for  the  pale  wan  youth.  His  glove,  too,  came  off  his 
left  hand,  and  his  right  gloved  hand  was  examined. 
The  man  with  the  pompadour  came  next,  and  the  same 
pantomine  was  enacted.  Astro's  eyes  stayed  for  a  sec- 
ond or  two  on  the  man's  left  coat  sleeve;  then  he 
passed  on. 

So  he  went  from  one  to  another,  now  to  a  woman, 
now  to  a  man,  until  he  came  to  the  Countess  Trixola. 
Her  eyes  had  never  left  him ;  her  hand  remained  on 
her  breast,  as  if  to  hide  the  beating  of  her  heart.  Her 
eyes  were  hard  and  cold  but  the  pupils  were  dilated. 
Her  upper  lip  quivered  a  little. 

"Will  you  kindly  remove  your  glove,  Countess  ?  No, 
your  right,  if  you  please.  Yes,  thank  you.  Now  your 
left  hand,  just  as  it  is.  Thank  you." 

He  turned  swiftly  to  the  next  beside  her,  but  before 
he  had  examined  the  hand  he  had  bitten  the  knuckle 
of  his  forefinger,  as  if  in  abstraction. 

This  Valeska  noticed,  and  from  that  moment  regard- 
less of  what  he  was  doing,  she  kept  her  eyes  on  the 
countess.  The  woman  had  turned  to  a  companion,  and 
was  evidently  voicing  some  sarcastic  comment  on 
Astro's  methods.  As  she  spoke,  she  moved  insensibly 
away,  and  backed  toward  another  group  nearer  the 
wall  by  the  windows.  The  company  had  now  begun  to 


242       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

, 

move  a  little,  and  her  progress  was  so  clever  as  to  be 
unnoticeable  to  one  who  did  not  specially  follow  her 
movements.  She  passed  a  few  feet  nearer  the  window. 

Astro  went  on  steadily,  from  one  person  to  another, 
examining  palms.  In  another  moment,  however,  he 
had  stopped  dramatically,  put  both  his  hands  to  his 
forehead,  staggered  and  dropped  to  the  floor.  A 
woman  screamed.  Two  or  three  men  ran  up  to  sup- 
port him  in  their  arms.  A  physician  elbowed  his  way 
through  the  crowd. 

At  that  moment,  while  every  one  was  staring  at 
the  group  that  surrounded  the  Master  of  Mysteries, 
Valeska  saw  the  countess  move  quickly  toward  the 
window.  There,  for  a  moment,  she  stood  facing  the 
assembly,  looking  sharply  about,  her  hands  behind  her 
back.  An  instant  more,  and  she  had  left  again  and 
joined  the  man  with  the  pompadour.  She  drew  him 
aside  and  spoke  to  him.  He  nodded,  looked  behind 
him,  and  moved  away. 

Some  one  was  calling  for  water.  A  man  laid  his 
hand  to  the  door  to  open  it,  when  Selwyn's  voice 
barked  out  again.  He  assumed  command  again. 

"No  one  leaves  this  room !  This  man  is  not  seriously 
hurt ;  he  hasn't  even  fainted.  It's  all  a  trick  to  cover 
his  failure.  We'll  end  this  nonsense  right  now,  and 
have  in  the  police !" 

Valeska  hurried  up  to  the  group,  pressed  in  between 
the  bystanders,  and  knelt  beside  Astro.  "Stand  back, 
please!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  know  how  to  attend  to 
him.  He  has  gone  into  a  psychic  trance,  that's  all. 
The  strain  was  too  much  for  him.  He'll  be  all  right  in 
a  moment,  and  will  go  on  with  his  search." 
i  She  took  his  hand,  and,  unseen  by  the  company, 


MRS.   SELWYN'S   EMERALD  243 

pressed  it  four  times.  Astro's  eyes  opened.  He  sat 
up;  rose  to  his  feet  slowly;  trembled;  looked  about; 
took  a  step  forward,  tentatively.  Valeska  still  held  his 
hand. 

"Silence,  everybody!"  she  called  out,  and  held  up 
her  right  hand  with  a  warning  gesture. 

Every  eye  turned  to  the  two,  and  every  tongue  was 
silent,  as  Astro  moved,  at  first  uncertainly,  and  then 
with  increasing  confidence,  directly  across  the  room. 
He  stopped  before  a  tall  cloisonne  vase  standing  in 
front  of  the  window,  looked  at  it  for  a  moment  stu- 
pidly, then  lifted  it  and  turned  it  upside  down.  Out 
dropped  the  Selwyn  emerald. 

A  hurricane  of  applause  burst  from  the  company, 
hands  clapped,  and  men  cried  "Bravo !"  Mrs.  Selwyn 
rushed  forward. 

Astro  handed  her  the  brooch.  She  gave  one  look  at 
it,  clasped  it  to  her  breast,  and  then  took  the  palmist's 
hands  with  both  hers. 

"Wonderful!"  she  exclaimed.  "It's  perfectly  mar- 
vel—" 

Then  her  eyes  caught  a  whimsical  look  in  his,  saw 
his  cryptic  smile,  and  her  face  changed.  First  it  grew 
suddenly  blank,  then  a  delighted  expression  flooded  it. 

"Why — why,  it  was  a  trick  !  wasn't  it  ?  How  clever ! 
Oh,  it  was  worth  the  fright,  really!  It  was  the  best 
thing  I've  ever  seen  done!  I  never  suspected  it  for 
a  minute!  Oh,  thank  you  so  much!  I  knew  you 
wouldn't  be  mean  enough  to  refuse  altogether.  I 
knew  you'd  be  nice  and  amuse  us  some  way.  But  my ! 
you  are  a  wizard,  aren't  you  ?" 

Selwyn  strode  forward.  "Do  you  mean  to  say*  you 
cooked  this  whole  thing  up,  sir?  Well,  you  certainly 


244        THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

fooled  me,  by  Jove!  Ha,  ha!  You  got  us  all  going, 
didn't  you?  Think  of  that!  But  you  pretty  nearly 
caused  a  big  scandal,  I  tell  you!"  He  turned  to  a 
neighbor  and  began  to  talk  vociferously  about  it. 

The  crowd  swarmed  about  Astro  now,  each  eager 
to  congratulate  and  to  praise.  Every  one  gesticulated, 
almost  screamed  at  one  another,  laughing,  asking 
questions  without  number.  Dozens  of  people,  their 
conventional  reserve  broken  down  by  the  strain  of  the 
last  few  minutes,  shook  Astro  by  the  hand. 

The  countess  came  up,  also,  to  flatter  him  on  his 
success. 

"But  you  didn't  tell  me  my  character  after  all,"  she 
complained  playfully. 

The  glance  Astro  gave  her  was  cold  and  sharp. 
"Madam,"  he  replied,  "your  character  will  hardly 
stand  another  such  test.  If  you  will  call  at  my  studio 
to-morrow,  I  will  give  you  some  advice.  When  do 
you  expect  to  return  to  Italy  ?" 

She  gave  him  a  long  stare,  grew  a  little  pale,  but 
shrugged  her  shoulders.  "Are  you  in  a  hurry  for  me 
to  return,  Monsieur?" 

"I  predict  a  great  misfortune  for  you,  if  you  remain 
here  for  more  than  a  week." 

"Thank  you  very  much  for  your  advice,  then.  You 
are  too  kind !  Yes,  I  think  I  shall  be  bored  to  death 
in  this  town.  I  shall  go.  Au  revoir,  Monsieur!  I 
should  like  to  know  you  better.  We  would  make  fine 
playmates !" 

She  smiled,  and,  as  if  reluctantly,  removed  her  eyes, 
and  left  him. 

Mrs.  Selwyn  drew  him  aside  with  eager  eyes.  "Of 
course,  I  know  I'm  a  pig,"  she  said,  "but  really,  Astro, 


MRS.    SELWYN'S    EMERALD  245 

couldn't  you  get  that  diamond  off  the  countess'  hand 
and  hide  it  somewhere?  It  would  be  such  fun,  you 
know!  Do  be  nice  and  do  just  one  more!  They'll 
talk  about  my  reception  forever  if  you  do !" 

Astro  laughed.  "That's  one  thing  I'm  afraid  I 
can't  do.  You  see,  the  countess  isn't  quite  so  innocent 
as  you  are,  Mrs.  Selwyn." 


"It  was  a  pretty  big  chance  you  were  taking,  seems 
to  me,"  said  Valeska,  as  Astro  drove  her  home.  "Of 
course  she  grabbed  the  stone  so  tightly  that  it  printed 
the  marks  of  the  facets  on  her  white  glove ;  that  part 
of  it  was  easy.  But  how  could  you  be  sure?  You 
didn't  look  at  half  the  people's  hands." 

"You  noticed  the  way  she  held  her  ringers  when  I 
spoke  to  you,  didn't  you?  I  didn't  have  time,  then,  to 
explain.  But  I  knew  by  that  that  she  was  or  had  been 
a  pickpocket.  The  professional  dip  works  with  his 
first  two  fingers,  and  almost  always  carries  his  hand 
with  them  extended,  and  the  other  two  fingers  curled 
up  out  of  the  way." 

"But  why  did  you  look  at  her  left  glove,  instead  of 
the  right,  as  you  did  all  the  others?" 

"I  had  noticed  at  supper  time  that  she  was  left- 
handed.  When  I  took  my  long  chance,  my  dear,  was 
when  I  trusted  to  you  to  find  out  what  she  did  with 
the  brooch.  I  confess  that  when  I  dropped  on  the 
floor  and  waited  for  your  signal,  I  was  rather  anxious. 
It  was  up  to  you,  then,  to  make  me  or  break  me.  But 
I  was  sure  I  could  trust  you,  and  you  did  beautifully." 

Valeska  herself  had  been  more  anxious  during  that 
few  minutes  than  she  confessed.  There  was,  however, 


246       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

one  more  thing  to  be  straightened  out  in  her  mind. 

"What  I  don't  understand  is  who  put  out  the  lights," 
she  remarked.  "I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  I  was  stand- 
ing near  the  wall  where  the  electric  switch  was,  and 
immediately  the  lights  went  out  some  one  brushed 
past  me  roughly,  and  something  twitched  at  my  waist. 
I  wonder  who  it  was?" 

Astro  cast  a  look  down  at  her  side  and  smiled.  "Oh, 
that  settles  something  that  bothered  me,"  he  said  mus- 
ingly. "Clever  little  buckles  on  your  corsage,  my 
dear!  I  wondered  how  that  pompadoured  chap  hap- 
pened to  have  his  left  coat  sleeve  cut  in  such  a  queer 
way,  but  I  was  too  busy  to  think  it  out.  I  wish  now 
I  had  given  both  of  them  over  to  the  police.  I  expect 
he's  a  diamond  cutter,  fast  enough !  Mrs.  Selwyn  is 
lucky  that  six  or  seven  different  persons  won't  be 
wearing  pieces  of  her  emerald  next  year,  Valeska." 


THE  ASSASSINS'  CLUB 

VERY  time  I  see  a  gargoyle/'  said  Astro,  "I  feel 
a  thrill  of  secret  kinship.  It's  as  if  I  were  the 
only  one  who  understood  its  mystery.  If  I  were  roman- 
tic, I  would  say  that  in  a  previous  incarnation  I  had 
lived  in  the  dark  ages.  What  do  you  think  about  gar- 
goyles, Valeska?" 

Astro  looked  up  from  a  book  of  Viollet-le-Duc's 
architectural  drawings  and  glanced  across  to  the 
pretty  blond  head.  His  assistant,  busy  with  her  card 
catalogue,  where  she  kept  memoranda  of  the  Seer's 
famous  cases,  made  a  delightful  picture  against  the  dull 
crimson  hangings  of  the  wall. 

She  came  over  to  him  and  looked  down  across  his 
shoulder  at  the  pictures  of  the  grotesque  stone  mon- 
sters. "Why,"  she  said,  "I've  seen  those  horrible 
cynical  old  ones  on  Notre  Dame  in  Paris,  that  gaze 
down  on  the  city  roofs.  I've  always  wondered  why 
they  placed  them  on  beautiful  churches." 

"It's  a  deep  question,"  said  Astro,  his  eyes  still  on 
the  engraving.  "But  to  my  mind  they  symbolize  the 
ancient  cult  of  Wonder.  In  the  Middle  Ages  men 
really  wondered ;  they  didn't  anticipate  flying-machines 
years  before  they  were  invented,  as  we  moderns  do. 
They  took  nothing  for  granted.  Everything  in  life 
was  a  miracle." 

Valeska  dropped  quietly  into  a  seat  to  listen.  Astro 
247 


248       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

had  many  moods.  Sometimes  he  was  the  dreamy  oc- 
cult Seer,  cryptic,  mysterious;  again  he  was  the  alert 
man  of  affairs,  keen,  logical,  worldly.  She  had  seen 
him,  too,  in  society,  affable,  bland,  jocose.  But  in  this 
introspective,  whimsical,  analytic  mood  she  got  nearest 
him  and  learned  something  of  the  true  import  of  his 
life. 

He  went  on,  his  eyes  half-closed,  his  red  silken  robe 
enveloping  him  like  a  shroud,  the  diamond  in  his  turban 
glittering  as  he  moved  his  head.  His  olive-skinned, 
picturesque  face  with  its  dark  eyes  was  serene  and 
quiet  now.  A  little  blue-tailed  lizard,  one  of  Astro's 
many  exotic  fancies,  frisked  across  the  table.  He 
caught  it  and  held  it  as  he  talked. 

"In  the  thirteenth  century  clergy  and  laity  alike 
believed  that  the  forces  of  good  and  evil  were  almost 
equally  balanced.  They  worshiped  the  Almighty,  but 
propitiated  Satan  as  well;  so  these  grotesque  beasts 
leered  down  from  the  cornices  of  the  house  of  God, 
and  watched  the  holy  offices  of  priests.  The  devil  had 
his  own  litany,  his  own  science.  They  were  forbidden 
practises,  but  they  flourished  then  among  the  most  in- 
tellectual people  as  they  flourish  now  among  the  most 
ignorant.  Magic  was  then  a  science,  now  it  is  a  fake. 
Still,  a  man's  chief  desire  is  to  get  something  for  noth- 
ing,— to  find  a  short  cut  to  wisdom.  The  "gargoyle  is 
replaced  by  the  dollar  mark.  So  be  it!  One  must 
earn  one's  living.  Selah!  I  have  spoken!" 

He  looked  up  with  a  smile  and  a  boyish  twinkle 
in  his  eyes.  Then  his  businesslike,  cynical  self  re- 
turned. He  jumped  up,  tall  and  eager,  a  pictur- 
esque oriental  figure  informed  with  the  stirring  life  of 
the  West. 


THE   ASSASSINS'   CLUB  249 

"Valeska,  I've  been  reading  about  the  Devil-wor- 
shipers of  Paris, — the  black  mass,  infant  sacrifices,  and 
all  that.  That's  an  anachronistic  cult.  I'd  like  to 
know  if  there  really  is  any  genuine  survival  of  the 
worship  of  Evil?" 

Valeska  shuddered.    "Oh,  that  would  be  horrible !" 

"But  interesting."  He  clasped  his  hands  behind  him 
and  gazed  up  at  the  silver-starred  ceiling.  "I  don't 
mean  degeneracy  or  insanity,  but  a  man  that  does  evil 
for  the  love  of  it,  as  they  did  in  the  old  days.  Think, 
for  instance,  of  the  lost  art  of  torture — the  science  of 
human  suffering — " 

"Oh,  don't!  I  hate  to  have  you  talk  like  that!" 
Valeska  put  a  hand  on  his  arm. 

"Very  well,  I  won't."  He  snapped  his  fingers  as  if 
to  rid  himself  of  the  thought,  and  walked  into  the 
reception-room  adjoining  the  great  studio. 

Valeska  went  back  to  her  work.  For  some  minutes 
she  arranged  her  cards  in  their  tin  box ;  then,  hearing 
voices  outside,  she  looked  up  and  listened.  Then  she 
walked  softly  across  the  heavy  rugs  and,  touching  a 
button  in  the  mahogany  wainscoting,  passed  through 
a  secret  door. 

Scarcely  had  she  disappeared  wHen  Astro  returned, 
ushering  in  a  young  woman  stylishly  dressed  in  brown. 
When  she  put  aside  her  veil  her  face  shone  out  like 
a  portrait,  vivid,  instinct  with  grace  and  a  delicate, 
rare,  high-bred  beauty,  full  of  character  and  force. 
Astro  showed  her  a  seat  under  the  electric  lamp. 

"I  thought  you  would  help  me  if  any  one  could," 
she  was  saying,  in  continuation  of  her  conversation  in 
the  reception-room.  "If  it  were  anything  less  vague, 


250        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

I'd  speak  to  mother  about  it;  but  it's  too  strange  and 
elusive.  I'm  sure  he  has  not  been  drinking;  I  would 
notice  that  in  other  ways.  And  yet  he  is  different,  he 
is  not  himself.  It  frightens  me." 

"Have  you  spoken  to  him  about  it  ?"  Astro  asked. 

"Yes ;  but  he  won't  say  anything.  He  evades  it,  and 
says  he's  all  right.  But  I  don't  dare  to  marry  him  till 
I  know  what  it  is  that  has  changed  him.  I  know  it 
seems  disloyal  to  suspect  him,  but  how  can  I  help  it?" 

"What  is  Mr.  Cameron's  business?" 

"He's  a  naval  lieutenant,  in  the  construction  depart- 
ment at  the  Brooklyn  navy  yard.  And  that  is  another 
reason  why  I'm  worried.  He  has  charge  of  work  that 
is  important  and  secret.  If  this  change — whatever  it  is 
— should  affect  his  work,  he'd  be  disgraced ;  he  might 
even  be  dishonorably  discharged." 

"When  have  you  noticed  this  peculiarity  of  his  ?  At 
any  particular  time?" 

"Usually  on  Sundays,  when  he  almost  always  comes 
to  call ;  but  sometimes  in  the  middle  of  the  week.  At 
times  he  talks  queerly,  almost  as  if  in  his  sleep,  of 
colors  and  queer  landscapes  that  have  nothing  to  do 
with  what  we  are  discussing.  Sometimes  he  doesn't 
even  finish  his  sentences  and  goes  off  into  a  sort  of 
daze  for  a  minute;  and  then  he'll  ask  my  pardon  and 
go  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened." 

"And  when  shall  you  see  him  next?" 

"He  will  probably  come  Saturday  afternoon.  Us- 
ually he  stays  to  dinner,  but  of  late  he  has  been  having 
engagements  that  prevent." 

"All  right,"  said  the  Seer;  "I'll  see  what  I  can  do. 
Knowing  that  he  is  at  your  house,  I  shall  be  able  to 
orient  myself  and  thereby  be  more  receptive  to  his 


THE   ASSASSINS'    CLUB  251 

astral  influence.  I  shall  then  be  able  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  any  psychic  disturbance." 

The  young  woman,  rising  to  go,  looked  at  him  plain- 
tively. "Oh,  I  hope  I  haven't  done  wrong  in  telling 
you  about  it !  But  I  do  love  him  so  I  can't  bear  to  see 
him  so  changed !" 

"My  dear  Miss  Mannering,"  said  Astro  kindly,  "you 
need  have  no  fear,  I  assure  you.  Your  business  shall 
be  kept  absolutely  confidential.  With  the  exception  of 
my  assistant,  no  one  shall  ever  know  that  you  came 
here." 

"Your  assistant?"    She  looked  at  him  doubtfully. 

"Miss  Wynne." 

She  seemed  surprised.  "A  lady?"  she  asked;  then, 
timidly,  "Might  I  see  her?" 

"Certainly."    Astro  touched  a  bell. 

In  a  moment  Valeska  appeared  between  the  velvet 
portieres,  and  waited  there,  her  piquant  sensitive  face 
questioning  his  wish,  her  golden  hair  brightly  illumi- 
nated from  behind. 

Miss  Mannering  walked  to  her  impulsively  and  took 
her  hand.  "Might  I  speak  to  you  for  a  moment?"  she 
asked. 

Valeska,  giving  Astro  a  glance,  led  the  visitor  into 
the  reception-room. 

"I  had  no  idea  that  Astro  had  a  lady  assistant,"  she 
said.  "I  feel  much  better  about  having  told  him, 
now." 

Valeska  smiled  at  her  and  held  the  hand  in  both 
hers.  "Oh,  I  only  do  some  of  his  routine  work,"  she 
said ;  "but  he  often  discusses  his  important  cases  with 
me.  I'm  sure  that  he  can  help  you.  He  is  wonderful, 
I  never  knew  him  to  fail," 


252        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Miss  Wynne,"  said  the  visitor,  "no  one  but  a 
woman  can  understand  how  distressed  I  am.  I'm  sure 
I  can  trust  you;  I  can  read  that  in  your  face.  I  am 
always  sure  of  my  intuitions.  And,  now  that  I  have 
seen  you,  I'm  going  to  tell  you  something  that  I  didn't 
quite  dare  to  tell  Astro.  I  know  my  fiance  is  in  some 
trouble.  But  what  I'm  afraid  of  is  too  dreadful;  it 
terrifies  me !  Here !  look  at  this  !  It  dropped  out  of 
Mr.  Cameron's  pocket  the  last  time  he  called,  and  I 
found  it  after  he  had  gone." 

She  handed  an  envelope  to  Valeska,  who  looked  at 
it  carefully  and  drew  out  a  single  sheet  of  paper.  On 
this  was  written  in  green  ink : 

"Be  at  the  Assassins'  Saturday  at  seven.    Has- 
kell's  turn." 

"What  can  that  mean  ?"  Miss  Mannering  whispered. 
"I  didn't  dare  to  show  it  for  fear  of  getting  Bob  into 
trouble  in  some  way.  That  word  'Assassins' — Oh,  it's 
awful !" 

"May  I  take  this  letter?"  Valeska  asked. 

"No,  I  daren't  leave  it.  Mr.  Cameron  may  miss  it 
and  ask  for  it.  But  you  may  tell  Astro,  if  you  think 
best." 

Valeska  gave  another  glance  at  the  letter  and 
handed  it  back.  "My  dear  Miss  Mannering,  don't 
worry  about  it,"  she  said,  pressing  her  hand.  "It  may 
not  be  so  bad  as  you  fear.  Whatever  it  is,  Astro  will 
find  it  out,  you  may  be  sure." 


When  the  visitor  had  departed,  Valeska  walked  into 
the  studio  with  the  news.     Astro  listened  in  silence 


THE   ASSASSINS'    CLUB  253 

till  she  had  finished ;  then  he  smiled,  nodded,  and  took 
up  his  water-pipe  lazily. 

"The  solution  of  this  thing  is  so  simple  that  I'm  sur- 
prised it  hasn't  occurred  to  you,  my  dear.  But  that's 
because  of  your  lack  of  experience  and  the  fact  that 
you  haven't  read  so  much  as  I  have.  But,  all  the  same, 
there  may  be  something  deeper  in  it  than  appears  now. 
At  any  rate  the  girl  is  to  be  helped,  and  the  lieutenant 
as  well;  and  that  we  shall  do." 

"But  what  about  the  'Assassins'?"  Valeska  inquired 
anxiously. 

"Oh,  that's  the  whole  thing,  of  course.  But  I  think 
I'll  let  you  study  that  out  yourself.  It  will  be  good 
practise  for  your  reasoning  powers.  First,  let's  see 
if  your  powers  of  observation  have  improved.  Tell  me 
all  about  the  letter."  He  blew  out  a  series  of  smoke 
rings  and  regarded  her  quizzically. 

"Well,"  Valeska  puckered  her  brows,  "it  was  writ- 
ten on  buff-laid  linen  paper  of  about  ninety  pounds 
weight — very  heavy  stock,  anyway — in  an  envelope  of 
the  same,  postmarked  Madison  Square  station,  April 
nineteenth,  four  P.  M.  The  handwriting  was  that  of  a 
stout  middle-aged  man,  who  had  just  had  some  serious 
illness, — a  foreigner,  hard-working,  unscrupulous,  dis- 
honest, with  no  artistic  sensibility." 

"Bravo!    Is  that  all?" 

"No,  the  stationery  came  from  Perkins  &  Shaw's. 
I  saw  the  stamping  under  the  flap." 

"Very  good.  Unfortunately  we  can't  ask  there 
about  the  Assassins.  But  perhaps  we'll  find  my  ideal 
criminal  after  all.  The  easiest  plan  will  be  to  follow 
Cameron  to-morrow  night.  Meanwhile,  you  had  bet- 
ter do  some  thinking  yourself." 


254       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

Valeska  sat  down  and  gazed  long  into  trie  great 
open  fire,  her  brows  frowning,  her  hands  working 
mechanically,  absorbed  in  thought.  Astro  took  a  small 
folding  chess-board  and  gracefully  amused  himself 
with  an  intricate  problem  in  the  logistics  of  the  game. 
When  at  last  he  had  queened  his  white  pawn  accord- 
ing to  his  theory,  he  looked  over  at  his  assistant  and 
smiled  to  see  her  seriousness.  In  that  look  something 
seemed  to  pass  from  him  to  her. 

"Oh!"  she  cried,  jumping  up,  "does  it  begin  with 
anH?" 

"More  properly  with  a  C,"  he  replied. 

She  shook  her  head  and  went  at  the  problem  again, 
and  kept  at  it  until  it  was  time  to  close  the  studio. 


The  next  afternoon  Astro  and  Valeska  waited  for 
two  hours  across  Seventy-eighth  Street  from  Miss 
Mannering's  house  before  they  saw  the  lieutenant 
emerge.  They  had  already  a  good  description  of  him, 
and  had  no  trouble  in  recognizing  the  tall  good-look- 
ing fellow  who  at  half  past  six  o'clock  walked  briskly 
up  the  street,  ran  down  the  stairs  to  the  subway,  and 
took  a  seat  in  a  down-town  local  train.  Astro  and 
Valeska  separated  and  took  seats  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  car,  watching  their  man  guardedly.  At  Twenty- 
third  Street  he  got  out,  went  up  to  the  sidewalk,  and 
walked  eastward. 

Beyond  Fourth  Avenue  was  a  row  of  three-story, 
old-fashioned,  brick  houses,  back  from  the  street.  The 
lieutenant  entered  the  small  iron  gate  to  one  of  the 
yards  and,  taking  a  key  from  his  pocket,  went  in  the 
front  door  of  a  house.  It  slammed  behind  him. 


THE   ASSASSINS'   CLUB  255 

"The  headquarters  of  the  Assassins,"  said  Astro 
calmly,  his  hands  in  his  overcoat  pockets,  studying  the 
windows. 

"And  what  next?"  asked  Valeska. 

"We'll  wait  a  while.    Come  into  this  next  doorway." 

On  the  side  of  the  doorway  they  now  entered  was  a 
sign,  "Furnished  Rooms."  It  was  now  after  seven 
o'clock,  and  had  begun  to  snow.  Valeska  stood  inside 
the  vestibule  protected  from  the  weather ;  Astro  waited 
just  outside  watching  the  doorway  of  number  109.  The 
Twenty-third  Street  cars  clanged  noisily  by,  the  din 
of  the  traffic  muffled  by  the  carpet  of  snow.  The  open 
mouth  of  the  subway  sucked  in  an  unsteady  stream 
of  wayfarers. 

Suddenly  Valeska  put  her  hand  on  Astro's  arm. 
"Does  it  begin  with  'C-o'?"  she  asked. 

He  smiled.  "No,  'C-a,' "  he  answered. 

"Oh,  dear,  I  thought  I  had  it !  But  don't  tell  me ! 
I'm  sure  I'll  work  it  out,  though.  But  it  makes  me 
anxious.  Anything  might  happen  on  a  night  like 
this!" 

"Yes,  even  an  assasination." 

"You  don't  fear  that,  really?"  She  looked  at  him  in 
alarm. 

"But  I  do, — assassination  of  a  sort.  What  else  could 
the  letter  mean?" 

She  had  not  time  to  answer  before  the  door  of  the 
next  house  opened,  and  a  man  buttoned  up  in  a  fur- 
trimmed  overcoat  came  out.  He  stopped  a  moment 
to  raise  an  umbrella,  and  they  could  see  that  he  was  a 
stout  pasty-faced  German  of  some  fifty  years,  with  a 
curling  yellow  mustache.  He  wore  spectacles  and 
seemed  to  be  near-sighted. 


256       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"There's  the  man  who  wrote  the  letter !  Follow  him, 
Valeska!  Find  out  who  he  is  and  all  that's  possible! 
We  must  follow  every  lead." 

Valeska  was  off  on  the  instant,  running  down  the 
steps  and  walking  swiftly  up  Twenty-third  Street. 

Astro  lighted  a  cigar,  turned  up  his  collar  and  waited 
another  half-hour  in  the  doorway.  Nobody  having  en- 
tered or  left  number  109  by  that  time,  he  rang  the  bell 
of  number  in.  A  Swedish  maid  came  to  the  door. 

"I'd  like  to  see  what  rooms  you  have,"  said  Astro. 

"The  only  one  is  on  the  third  floor  rear,"  she  re- 
plied, and  showed  him  up  two  flights  of  unlighted 
stairs,  steep  and  narrow,  to  a  small  square  room, 
meagerly  furnished.  Walking  to  the  window,  Astro 
saw  that,  level  with  the  floor,  was  a  tin-covered  roof 
over  an  extension  in  the  rear.  It  stretched  along  the 
whole  width  of  the  four  houses  in  the  row.  On  this 
he  might  easily  stand  and  look  into  the  adjoining 
windows.  Saying  that  he  would  move  in  later,  Astro 
paid  the  girl  for  a  week's  rent  in  advance,  and  left  the 
house  and  walked  home. 


Valeska  next  morning  came  full  of  news.  "The 
German  kept  right  along  Twenty-third  Street  toward 
Broadway,"  she  said,  "and  it  occurred  to  me  that  I 
might  get  him  to  make  the  first  advances,  and  get  ac- 
quainted without  being  suspected.  So  I  passed  him, 
and  very  gracefully  slipped  on  the  snow  and  dropped 
my  purse.  Then  I  began  looking  about  on  the  sidewalk 
for  the  money  that  might  have  dropped  out.  My  Ger- 
man friend  came  along  and  offered  to  help  me.  It  took 
some  time,  and  the  long  and  short  of  it  was  that  we 


THE   ASSASSINS'    CLUB  257 

had  quite  a  conversation,  and  I  convinced  him  that  I 
was  respectable.  He  walked  along  with  me  and  asked 
me  where  I  was  going.  I  said  that  I  had  intended  go- 
ing to  the  Hippodrome  with  a  friend;  but  that  I  had 
been  detained,  and  it  was  so  late  I  thought  I'd  go 
home.  He  proposed  having  something  to  eat,  and  of 
course  I  refused.  I  had  to  be  urged  and  urged;  but 
the  more  I  refused,  the  more  anxious  he  was  to  have 
me  come.  Finally,  I  reluctantly  assented  to  his  invita- 
tion, and  we  went  to  the  Cafe  Riche. 

"Well,  you  ought  to  have  seen  that  German  eat, — 
I  mean  you  ought  to  have  heard  him  eat !  I  couldn't 
eat  anything  myself;  but  sipped  the  wine  he  ordered 
and  coyly  led  him  on,  chattering  away  about  myself 
ingenuously.  I  had  an  engagement  with  Richard 
Mansfield  and  a  three  years'  contract  at  one  hundred 
dollars  a  week  when  he  died,  and  was  awfully  anxious 
to  get  another  chance.  All  the  money  I  had  was  tied 
up  in  one  of  the  trust  companies,  and  so  on.  He  kept 
on  eating,  taking  the  biggest  mouthfuls  I  ever  saw  and 
leaving  half  of  it  on  his  mustache.  Oh,  I  put  in  some 
hard  work,  I  assure  you ! 

"Then  he  began  asking  me  questions,  and  wanted 
to  know  if  I  would  like  to  earn  some  money  on  the 
side.  Would  I?  I  jumped  at  it! — five  thousand  actor 
folk  out  of  a  job  this  season,  you  know,  and  all  that. 
He  said  I  reminded  him  of  his  dead  daughter — you 
know  I'm  always  reminding  people  of  somebody — 
and  he  thought  he  could  trust  me.  I  cast  down  my  eyes 
and  let  him  go  on. 

"He  said  there  was  a  man  he  knew  who  had  stolen 
some  confidential  papers,  and  he  wanted  to  get  them 
away  from  him  without  publicity.  He  needed  a  good 


258       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

clever  woman  to  help  him  out  on  the  job.  I  bright- 
ened up  considerably.  He  asked  me  to  go  home  with 
him  so  that  he  could  give  me  a  photograph  to  identify 
my  victim.  I  said  I  would;  although  I  confess  I  was 
^getting  nervous,  not  being  quite  sure  what  he  was  up 
to.  He  had  begun  paying  me  compliments,  and  when  a 
German  begins  to  get  sentimental — well,  you  know ! 

"I  took  the  subway  with  him,  and  we  went  up  to 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Street.  There  was  a 
big  apartment  hotel  there,  called  the  Dahlia, — one  of 
those  marble-hailed  affairs  that  look  as  if  they  were 
built  of  a  dozen  different  kinds  of  fancy  soap,  with  a 
red  carpet  and  awfully  funny  oil-paintings  and  negro 
hall  boys  sitting  in  Renaissance  armchairs.  I  refused 
to  go  up-stairs.  Well,  after  a  while  he  came  down  the 
elevator  and  handed  me  this  photograph.  What  do 
you  think?" 

She  handed  Astro  a  cabinet  photograph.  He  lifted 
his  fine  brows  when  he  looked  at  it. 

"Lieutenant  Cameron !" 

Valeska  nodded.  "I'm  to  scrape  up  an  acquaintance 
with  him,  get  his  confidence,  and  then  report  to  Herr 
Beimer  for  final  instructions.  I  wonder  what  poor  lit- 
tle Miss  Mannering  would  say?" 

She  took  off  her  sables,  her  saucy  fur  toque,  and 
touched  up  her  hair  at  the  great  carved  mirror  at  one 
end  of  the  studio. 

Astro  sat  regarding  the  portrait  in  his  hand.  He 
looked  up  to  ask,  "Did  you  find  out  what  his  business 
was?" 

She  whirled  round  to  him.  "Oh,  I  forgot!  He's 
the  agent  for  a  big  German  firm,  connected  with  the 
Krupps'  steel  plant.  They  control  the  rights  to  a  new 


THE   ASSASSINS'    CLUB  259 

magazine  pistol.  I  was  awfully  interested  in  machin- 
ery, you  know.  It  bored  me  to  death ;  but  I  listened 
half  an  hour  to  his  description  of  a  new  ammunition 
hoist  for  battleships." 

Astro  was  suddenly  electrified  with  energy.  "Ah !" 
he  exclaimed.  "You  didn't  remember  that  the 
Krupps  stand  in  with  the  German  government  and 
have  the  biggest  subsidies  and  contracts  in  the  world? 
He  wants  you  to  make  up  to  a  construction  officer  in 
the  United  States  navy,  does  he?  He  needs  a  clever 
woman!  I  should  say  he  did!  Was  Herr  Beimer 
sober?" 

"Perfectly,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  except  for  his 
sentimentality.  Of  course  he  was  a  bit  effusive,  you 
know." 

"Yes,  I  see.  It  wasn't  his  night.  It  was  Haskell's 
night,  whoever  Haskell  is!  But  I  think  we'll  have 
to  hurry.  This  looks  more  serious  than  I  thought  at 
first.  I  shall  sleep  at  number  in  East  Twenty-third 
Street  to-night.  And  meanwhile  I  have  a  nice  job  of 
forgery  for  you,  Valeska.  I  wish  you'd  practise  copy- 
ing this  writing  till  you  can  write  a  short  note  that 
will  pass  for  Lieutenant  Cameron's  handwriting." 

He  took  a  letter  from  a  drawer.  The  envelope  was 
addressed  to  Miss  Violet  Mannering.  Valeska  took 
it  and  read  it  over  carefully.  It  was  a  single  sheet, 
torn  from  a  double  page,  and  read  partly  as  follows : 

"I  believe  that  just  as  everything  seems  some- 
how different  at  night — when  we  can  see  farther 
than  by  day ;  for  can  we  not  see  the  stars  ? — when 
our  emotions  seem  freer — so  there  are  two  worlds 
in  which  it  is  possible  to  exist.  One  is  the  dreary 
every-day  place  of  business  and  duty  and  pain ;  the 


2<5o       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

other  is  free  from  care  or  suffering.  Don't  we  en- 
ter that  occult  world  at  night  through  our  dreams, 
where  there  is  no  such  thing  as  conscience?  There 
are  no  consequences  there!  No  doubt  it's  a  dan- 
gerous place,  because  it  is  abnormal;  but  its  ex- 
ploration is  fascinating.  Why  ignore  the  fact  that 
it  exists  as  a  refuge  from  the  worries  of  matter- 
of-fact  existence — " 

Valeska  read  it  thoughtfully.  Her  eyes  looked 
through  the  paper  as  if  into  a  mist  beyond.  "No  won- 
der poor  Miss  Mannering  is  worried !"  she  said  to  her- 
self. She  looked  at  Astro,  as  if  to  ask  a  question.  He 
was  busy  with  a  planimeter,  calculating  the  area  of  a 
queer  irregular  polygon  drawn  on  a  sheet  of  parch- 
ment. Seeing  his  tense  look,  she  turned  to  her  study 
of  the  manuscript. 


As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  Astro  opened  the  window  of 
his  room  on  Twenty-third  Street,  and  walked  along  the 
crackling  tin  roof  till  he  came  to  the  first  window  of 
the  house  occupied  by  the  Assassins.  Looking  in,  he 
saw  a  small,  bare,  hall  bedroom,  furnished  with  a  cot, 
a  wash-stand,  and  one  chair.  The  next  two  windows 
were  lighted.  He  approached  them  carefully.  Three 
men  were  seated  at  a  library  table  strewn  with  maga- 
zines. All  were  smoking  comfortably.  One,  Astro 
recognized  as  the  lientenant,  another  as  Herr  Beimer. 
The  third  was  a  yellow-faced  man  with  red  hair,  high 
cheek-bones,  and  dark  eyes  deeply  set  into  his  skull.  In 
front  of  him  was  a  plate  filled  with  what  looked  like 
caviar  sandwiches,  cut  small  and  thin. 

Herr  Beimer  said  something,  at  which  the  others 
laughed  loudly.  Then  with  a  flourish,  as  if  drinking 


THE  ASSASSINS'   CLUB  261 

their  health,  Lieutenant  Cameron  took  one  of  the  sand- 
wiches and  ate  it  almost  with  an  air  of  bravado. 
Beimer  looked  at  his  watch.  The  lean  yellow-faced 
man  walked  out  of  the  room.  The  lieutenant  took  up 
an  illustrated  paper  and  began  to  read. 

Astro  tiptoed  carefully  back  to  his  room,  put  on  his 
overcoat,  and  went  down-stairs,  walked  over  to  the 
drug  store,  and  at  the  telephone  booth  rang  up  Valeska. 

"Have  you  written  the  letter?"  he  asked. 

"Not  yet,"  was  the  answer. 

"Well,  you  must  do  it  immediately  as  well  as  you 
can.  Bring  it  to  number  ill  and  ask  for  Mr.  Silver- 
man." 

He  then  went  back  to  his  room.  Another  stealthy 
glance  through  the  windows  of  the  club  showed  the 
two  still  at  the  table.  Cameron  was  busy  with  a  pen- 
cil and  a  sheet  of  paper,  explaining  something  to  the 
German.  The  yellow-faced  man  watched  them  over 
his  book.  The  lieutenant  was  evidently  talking  with  a 
little  difficulty;  every  little  while  he  stopped,  and  be- 
gan again  with  an  effort.  One  leg  was  twitching  at 
the  knee-joint.  He  supported  his  head  heavily  on  his 
hand. 

Going  back  to  his  room,  Astro  took  a  bottle  of  am- 
monia from  his  overcoat  pocket  and  placed  it  on  the 
sink.  Next  he  poured  a  white  powder  from  a  paper 
and  dissolved  it  in  a  tumbler  of  water,  stirring  it  with 
a  spoon.  This  done,  he  took  the  wash-bowl  from  the 
stand  and  put  it  on  the  table  beside  the  bed.  Then  he 
sat  down  to  wait  for  Valeska. 

In  half  an  hour  she  appeared,  breathing  hard,  her 
cheeks  flushed  with  her  haste. 

"Here  it  is,"  she  said,  as  soon  as  the  maid  had  left. 


262        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"It's  the  best  I  could  do."     She  handed  it  over.     It 
read: 

"Please  allow  the  bearer  to  come  in  and  see  me 
on  important  business  at  any  time  he  may  present 
this.  ROBERT  CAMERON." 

"Good !"  said  Astro.  "Now  you  must  wait  here  and 
listen  at  the  window  till  you  hear  my  whistle.  Then 
come  right  along  the  roof  to  me  and  be  ready  for  any- 
thing." 

He  started  to  open  the  door  when  she  put  a  hand 
on  his  arm.  "Does  it  begin  with  'C-a-n'?"  she  asked 
breathlessly. 

He  nodded.    "How  did  you  get  it?" 

"From  the  lieutenant's  letter." 

"Of  course.  Well,  it  may  have  begun  with  'D-a-n* 
by  this  time." 

"D-a-n-g-e-r?" 

"Perhaps.    Be  ready !"  And  he  was  down-stairs. 

At  the  door  of  the  Assassins'  Club,  a  white-haired 
negro  answered  the  bell. 

Astro  presented  the  letter.  "I  wish  to  see  Lieuten- 
ant Cameron  immediately !"  he  said. 

"Ah,  don't  perzactly  know,  sah,"  said  the  darky. 
"Mah  o'ders  is  not  to  leave  nobody,  come  in  yah.  Ah 
expect  Ah'd  better  say  no,  sah." 

Astro  brushed  past  him  and  had  set  his  foot  on  the 
stair,  when  a  fat  face  looked  down  over  the  balusters. 
The  portly  form  of  Herr  Beimer  followed  it. 

"Vat's  de  madder  ?"  he  inquired,  as  he  started  down. 

Without  further  parley  Astro  ran  up  the  stair,  and, 
before  there  was  any  time  for  resistance  from  the  as- 
tonished German,  grasped  him  by  the  knees,  and  pull- 


THE   ASSASSINS'   CLUB  263 

ing  his  feet  from  under  him,  sent  him  madly  sliding 
down  the  stairs.  Herr  Beimer,  swearing  a  polysyllabic 
oath,  stumbled  awkwardly  to  his  feet  and  set  off  up- 
stairs again  after  his  attacker.  But  by  this  time  Astro 
was  at  the  top  of  the  second  flight.  He  dashed  into 
the  square  room  in  the  rear  where  he  had  seen  the 
group  of  men.  It  was  empty !  Beside  it,  however,  was 
a  small  hall  bedroom,  and  here,  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 
lying  in  a  stupor  on  the  cot,  lay  Lieutenant  Cameron. 

Astro  sprang  to  the  door  and  locked  it  just  as  the 
excited  German  thumped  ponderously  on  the  panels. 
Next  he  threw  up  the  window  and  whistled.  Then 
taking  the  lieutenant  in  his  arms,  he  succeeded  in  car- 
rying him  to  the  window-sill.  Valeska  was  already  on 
the  roof  outside,  waiting  for  him. 

"Take  his  feet !"  said  Astro  under  his  breatH,  and  so 
together  they  managed  to  get  the  lieutenant  out  on  the 
roof  and  to  the  window  of  the  chamber  in  number  in. 
By  this  time  the  man  had  begun  to  revive  and  to  pro- 
test in  word  and  action  against  his  removal.  They  paid 
no  heed  to  him,  however,  and  bundled  him  into  the 
room  and  on  the  bed.  Then  Astro  shook  him  energet- 
ically. 

"Wake  up,  man !"  he  cried.  "Wake  up  now !  You 
can,  if  you  try !  Here !  Smell  this !"  He  reached  for 
the  ammonia  and  held  it  under  the  lethargic  man's  nos- 
trils. 

The  lieutenant  turned  away  his  head,  coughed, 
blinked,  and  partially  rose  on  one  arm.  "Who  are 
you  ?"  he  said,  gazing  at  them  in  surprise. 

"Friends  of  Miss  Mannering's,"  said  Astro. 

The  lieutenant  shook  his  head,  and  stared.  "What's 
the  matter  ?"  he  brought  out  laboriously. 


264       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"I  got  you  away  from  Beimer — afraid  of  trouble — 
want  to  help  you."  Astro  spoke  very  distinctly,  as  if 
to  a  deaf  man. 

The  lieutenant  felt  for  his  coat,  found  himself  with- 
out one,  seemed  puzzled,  and  dropped  back  again 
limply. 

"The — draw — "  his  voice  ended  in  a  mumble. 

"Yes,  the  drawer!  What  drawer?"  Astro  asked 
eagerly. 

"Find  draw — "  The  lieutenant  seemed  to  drop 
asleep. 

"I  wonder  what  he  means?  There's  something  on 
his  mind.  No  doubt  he  has  hidden  something."  Astro 
looked  keenly  at  Valeska  under  drawn  brows. 

"Can't  you  revive  him  again  ?"  she  asked. 

"No  use  trying  the  ammonia  yet.  It  seems  to  have 
too  great  a  reaction  and  sends  him  into  a  deeper  sleep. 
We'll  have  to  wait  till  he  comes  to  himself  for  a  mo- 
ment naturally.  You  know  what  it  is  now,  don't  you  ?" 

She  nodded.  "And  I  found  it  out,  curiously,  only 
from  the  dictionary.  I  looked  up  the  word  'assassin,' 
and  found  that  it  came  from  Hashashin  or  hashish 
eater.  Then  I  looked  up  about  the  Old  Man  of  the 
Mountain  who  used  to  drug  his  followers  with  bhang 
till  they  would  commit  any  crime,  and  that  led  me,  of 
course,  to  Cannabis  Indica,  or  Indian  hemp,  and  I 
found  out  all  about  the  effects  of  hashish." 

"Yes,  I  thought  these  amateur  assassins  were  inno- 
cent enough, — only  a  club  to  experiment  with  hashish ; 
for  with  a  moderate  dose  the  sensations  are  wonderful, 
and  well  worth  trying, — but  there's  more  in  this  than 
that.  What  is  Beimer  up  to?  That's  what  I  want  to 
know." 


THE  ASSASSINS'   CLUB  265 

"Is  he  really  unconscious  now?"  Valeska  asked, 
watching  the  prostrate  form  of  the  lieutenant  as  he  lay 
flushed  and  breathing,  but  otherwise  inert. 

"Not  really.  He  may  be  dimly  aware  that  we  are 
here;  but  his  will  is  gone.  He  won't  speak  until  he 
rises  to  the  level  of  volition  again.  It's  a  sort  of  dou- 
ble consciousness,  a  rhythmic  process  of  alternate 
sinking  into  apathy,  where  he  sees  visions,  and  rising 
into  full  consciousness  when  he  can  talk  for  a  moment. 
I  wish  I  knew  what  dose  he  had.  The  intervals  are 
about  three  minutes.  I  tried  hashish  when  I  was  in 
college ;  but  I  took  such  an  overdose  the  last  time  that 
I  have  dreaded  to  use  it  again." 

The  lieutenant  now  began  to  mutter,  as  if  talking  in 
his  sleep.  "I'm  tottering  on  the  tops  of  tall  pendu- 
lums. .  .  .  The  world  is  full  of  spiralated  muci- 
lages .  .  .  lovely  color.  ...  In  a  tunnel  now,  twist- 
ing, turning,  violet,  green,  orange  .  .  .  floating  .  .  . 
floating  like  a  spirit  .  .  .  tops  of  tropic  trees  .  .  ." 

Suddenly  he  gasped  and  sat  up,  staring  hard  at 
them.  "What  did  I  say?  What  was  it?  Quick!  be- 
fore I  go  off  again!  I  was  saying  something." 

"Find  the  drawer,"  Astro  suggested,  leaning  to  him. 

"Draw — draw —  What  was  it?  Drawings!"  he 
exclaimed.  "Beimer  wants  the  drawings !  For  God's 
sake,  help  me !  I'm  losing  it  again !  Drawings !  What 
is  it  about  drawings?" 

"Where  did  you  put  them . 

"Drawings!  Yes.  Un-der  the — mat — "  His  eyes 
closed. 

Astro  tried  again.  "Under  the  mat  in  the  little 
room  ?" 

The  lieutenant  stared  stupidly.     "I  forget.     Mat — 


266       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

that  meant  something.  I  can't  get  it.  Wait  till  I  come 
up  again.  .  .  .  All  snaky  now,  like  live  wires  .  .  . 
pink  and  green.  .  .  Ah  !"  The  rest  was  inaudible. 

The  moment  he  had  again  succumbed  to  the  effects 
of  the  drug  Astro  sprang  to  the  window.  He  paused 
there  to  say  sharply : 

"Beimer  is  trying  to  get  some  of  the  lieutenant's 
navy  drawings,  that's  evident,  and  has  given  Cameron 
a  big  dose  of  hashish  to  keep  him  quiet  till  the  papers 
can  be  found.  I  think  Cameron  must  have  suspected 
it,  and  has  hidden  the  blue-prints  or  whatever  they  are. 
I'm  going  to  go  through  that  bedroom  and  see  if 
they're  under  the  mat.  You  wait  here.  He  is  likely 
to  be  unconscious  for  two  or  three  minutes  more  now, 
and  I'll  just  have  time."  With  that,  he  had  leaped  out 
on  the  roof  and  was  off. 

The  lieutenant  still  muttered  in  a  whisper  so  low  that 
Valeska  could  make  out  nothing.  She  went  to  the  win- 
dow just  as  Astro  reappeared. 

"No  mat,  nothing  but  a  carpet.  Beimer  must  have 
got  away  with  them.  You'll  have  to  get  after  him,  Va- 
leska, while  I  pull  the  lieutenant  through.  If  I  know 
anything  about  hashish,  he's  had  a  terrific  dose,  and  is 
going  to  have  the  worst  case  of  nausea  he  ever  had  in 
his  life.  I  took  a  look  at  those  hashish  sandwiches, 
— they  were  fairly  loaded  with  the  stuff.  His  first  voy- 
age wasn't  a  circumstance  to  the  seasickness  he'll  have 
in  about  half  an  hour.  You  get  right  out  to  Beimer's 
place  and  see  what  you  can  do  with  him !" 

As  Valeska  threw  on  her  furs  the  lieutenant  was 
beginning  to  rouse  again.  As  she  slipped  out  of  the 
door  and  ran  down-stairs,  he  sat  up  on  the  bed,  his 


"  I'm  tottering  on  the  top  of  tall  pendulums !    .    .    .    The  world  is 
full   of   spirilated  mucilages !  " 


THE  ASSASSINS'   CLUB  267 

eyes  glassy,  his  fists  clenched.  The  effort  he  was  mak- 
ing to  gain  possession  of  his  mental  faculties  was  evi- 
dent in  his  writhing  mouth  and  wild  staring  eyes. 

"What  was  it  ?"  he  demanded. 

"It's  all  right/'  said  Astro.  "Beimer  has  the  draw- 
ings ;  but  we'll  get  them  for  you."  He  turned  for  the 
glass  of  water  on  the  table. 

The  lieutenant  clutched  his  arm  in  a  fierce  grip. 
"Gods !"  he  cried.  "Help  me !  The  papers  were  secret 
plans  for  fire  control.  Man,  it's  ruin  for  me !" 

"You  must  drink  this,  first  of  all,"  Astro  replied, 
holding  the  glass  to  the  man's  lips.  "It's  an  emetic.  We 
must  get  this  hemp  out  of  your  stomach  before  you 
can  recover." 

It  was  too  late.  The  lieutenant  dropped  back,  now 
as  rigid  as  a  marble  statue,  only  his  wild  eyes  moving. 
He  spoke  painfully  through  his  clenched  teeth. 

"Oh,  God !"  he  murmured.  "Take  it  away !  I  can't 
drink  it !  I'm  going  through  hell !"  His  brow  was  fur- 
rowed with  tense  lines  as  he  fought  with  the  deathly 
nausea  that  was  working  in  him. 

Astro  put  down  the  glass  and  waited.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  nothing  could  help  now,  and  the  drug  which 
had  thoroughly  impregnated  the  man's  system  must 
work  off  its  own  effects. 

"It  works  so — so  fast  .  .  .  All  black  now  .  .  . 
Oh,  God!  .  .  .  I'm  afraid!  .  .  .  Afraid  .  .  ."  He 
began  to  moan. 

"You're  all  right;  there's  no  danger.  You're  just  a 
little  sick,  that's  all." 

"I'm  dying!  It's  no  use  ...  Tell  Violet  .  .  . 
I'm  dead  .  .  .  Don't  you  see,  man?  I'm  dead  al- 


268        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

ready  .  .  .  The  world  is  full  of  spiralated  mucilages 
— that's  the  inner  secret  of  Death — spiral  .  .  .  I'm 
whirling  through  space  .  .  .  Dead!" 

Astro  smiled.  It  was,  he  knew,  a  common  symptom 
of  an  overdose  of  Cannabis  Indica.  There  was,  as  he 
said,  no  danger.  He  waited  for  the  crisis,  attending  to 
his  patient  like  a  trained  nurse.  For  a  while  the  moan- 
ing continued;  then  Cameron  began  to  curse  wildly, 
like  a  man  with  the  delirium  tremens.  Then  of  a  sud- 
den he  sat  up  in  bed,  and  the  convulsion  came.  His 
outraged  stomach  revolted  at  the  burden  it  had  to 
bear.  During  this  Astro  waited  on  him  kindly,  and 
when  the  active  stage  of  nausea  had  passed  he  laid  the 
lieutenant  back  on  the  bed  and  waited  till  he  sank  into 
a  natural  sleep.  Then  he  took  a  small  book  from  his 
pocket  and  began  to  read. 

For  half  an  hour  he  read  the  little  volume  of  the 
Morte  d} Arthur;  for  another  half-hour  he  sat  in  a 
brown  study,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  pattern  in  the  worn 
carpet.  There  was  a  zigzag  figure  in  it  which  resem- 
bled the  letter  M. 

The  lieutenant  moaned  in  his  sleep,  and  felt  under 
his  bed  mechanically  with  one  hand.  Astro's  eyes  fol- 
lowed him. 

Then,  with  his  face  suddenly  illumined,  he  rose 
quietly,  threw  up  the  window,  and  passed  out  on  the 
roof.  In  less  than  five  minutes  he  returned  with  a 
smile  on  his  lips.  He  took  up  the  book  again  and  be- 
gan reading. 


It  was  after  midnight  when  Valeska  returned  in 
great  disappointment.  She  took  off  her  coat  and  looked 


THE   ASSASSINS'   CLUB  269 

sadly  at  the  lieutenant,  who  was  now  sleeping  peace- 
fully. 

"It  was  no  use,"  she  said.  "Herr  Beimer  wasn't  "in, 
and  no  one  knew  when  to  expect  him.  I  waited  as 
long  as  I  dared;  for  I  hated  to  come  back  unsuc- 
cessful." 

"It  was  too  bad  I  was  so  stupid  as  to  send  you 
away  out  there,"  said  Astro  quietly.  "I  should  have 
taken  time  to  think  it  over,  first.  It  came  to  me  an 
hour  after  you  had  left.  Here  are  the  blue-prints,  safe 
and  untouched." 

"Oh!"  she  exclaimed  joyously.  "Did  he  tell  you 
where  they  were  after  I  left?" 

"No,  before  you  left.    Didn't  you  hear  him?" 

"Under  the  mat?  But  I  thought  you  looked  and 
found  none  there." 

"My  dear,"  said  Astro,  with  a  whimsical  expression 
on  his  face,  "you  should  learn  to  concentrate,  to  focus 
your  subconscious  mind  upon  itself.  The  psychic  state 
of  receptivity — " 

"Oh,  bother!"  Valeska  exclaimed.  "Where  were 
they,  if  they  weren't  under  the  mat  ?" 

"Under  the  mattress,"  he  answered. 

The  lieutenant  sat  up,  now  fully  recovered,  and 
looked  at  the  two.  Astro  handed  him  the  blue-prints. 
He  grasped  them  exultantly.  For  a  while  he  lay  weakly 
looking  at  them,  saying  nothing.  Astro  put  on  his 
overcoat  and  helped  Valeska  into  her  wraps.  Just  be- 
fore he  opened  the  door,  he  turned  and  said : 

"I  don't  think  I  need  give  you  any  advice,  Lieuten- 
ant. Go  to  sleep  now,  and  you'll  be  all  right  in  the 
morning.  If  you  have  gone  through  what  I  did  the 
last  time  I  was  an  'assassin,'  there  is  no  danger  of  your 


270       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

ever  trying  it  again.  I  think  that  Miss  Mannering 
needn't  know  about  this,  certainly  I  shall  not  tell  her." 

"What  does  she  know?  Did  she  send  you  to  help 
me?"  the  lieutenant  asked  anxiously. 

"She  asked  my  advice,  that's  all.  Unfortunately  she 
saw  the  name  'Assassins' ;  but  I  think  you  can  explain 
that  easily  enough,  if  you  don't  care  to  confess  the 
truth." 

"How  can  I  explain  it  ?"  Cameron  said  thoughtfully. 

"Why,  tell  her  that  the  club  met  to  kill— time,"  said 
Astro,  "and  that  at  that  you  are  a  tolerably  successful 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MER- 
RINGTONS 

ETE  one  afternoon  in  February,  a  policeman,  stand- 
ing on  the  corner  of  Thompson  and  West  Fourth 
Streets,  gazing  abstractedly  across  Washington  Square, 
felt  something  brushing  against  his  trousers.  Looking 
down,  he  saw  a  little  child  of  scarcely  three  years  hold- 
ing something  up  to  him. 

"See !    See !"  she  was  saying. 

The  officer  opened  his  eyes  in  amazement.  In  one 
little  fist  the  baby  held  a  fire  opal  as  large  as  a  robin's 
egg;  in  the  other  was  a  shriveled  black  hand. 

He  grabbed  them  from  the  child  and  questioned  her ; 
but  her  prattle  was  meaningless.  Taking  her  care- 
fully in  charge,  he  hurried  to  the  station-house  and  re- 
ported the  incident  to  the  sergeant  at  the  desk. 

Next  morning  the  city  papers  "played  up"  the  ac- 
count of  the  astonishing  affair,  with  a  picture  of  the 
child,  the  officer,  and  the  two  extraordinary  objects 
with  which  the  baby  was  found.  That  afternoon  the 
mother  of  the  little  girl  came  to  claim  her  daughter 
bnt  was  unable  to  explain  the  incident.  She  lived  in 
a  tenement  on  a  level  with  the  elevated  railroad,  on 
West  Third  Street,  and  had  missed  little  Elsa  at  five 
o'clock.  Inquiries  in  the  neighborhood  elicited  the  fact 
that  Elsa  had  been  seen  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 

271 


272       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

noon  in  the  basement  tenement  of  a  house  across  the 
street,  a  place  used  as  a  cheap  laundry.  The  laundress 
had  noticed  the  child  playing  at  the  wood-pile ;  but  had 
been  too  busy  to  send  her  home.  When  she  had  fin- 
ished hanging  her  clothes  in  the  back  yard  and  had  re- 
turned to  the  wash-room,  the  child  had  gone.  The 
baby  had  been  found  by  the  policeman  at  a  quarter  to 
five.  Where  she  had  been  in  the  interim  it  seemed 
impossible  to  discover. 


The  case  was  turned  over  to  the  detective  force,  and 
was  eventually  taken  up  by  Lieutenant  McGraw.  He 
worked  at  it  a  day  without  success,  and  then,  recalling 
the  many  services  done  him  by  his  friend,  Astro  the 
Seer,  he  determined  to  seek  his  help.  McGraw's  earlier 
experience  with  the  palmist  had  been  at  the  time  of  the 
Macdougal  Street  dynamite  outrages  and  the  Hunch- 
akist  murder,  mysteries  that  Astro  had  solved  pri- 
vately. Assuming  the  credit  of  this,  McGraw  had  been 
promoted  and  had  paid  his  debt  of  gratitude  to  Astro 
in  several  ways.  He  had  often  secured  information 
for  the  palmist  that  no  one  outside  the  police  force 
would  have  been  able  to  obtain.  The  mutual  relation 
having  proved  profitable,  McGraw  did  not  hesitate  to 
apply  to  his  gifted  friend  in  this  case,  which  had  be- 
come prominent  in  the  papers. 

Astro,  free  at  the  time,  and  rather  bored  with  his 
ordinary  routine  of  chiromancy  and  astrologic  work, 
readily  undertook  the  commission.  He  questioned  Mc- 
Graw on  the  details  of  the  affair,  and  dismissed  him 
with  a  promise  to  go  about  the  matter  immediately. 

"It  will  probably  be  easy  and  interesting,"  he  re- 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS  273 

marked  to  his  assistant,  Valeska,  who  had  been  present 
at  the  interview  with  McGraw.  "It  is  these  cases 
which  are  apparently  so  extraordinary  that  are  most 
easily  solved.  Given  any  remarkable  variation  in  the 
aspect  of  a  crime,  and  you  know  immediately  where  to 
begin.  This  will  be  only  play,  I  fancy.  We'll  go  right 
down  and  look  the  ground  over  and  see  the  lay  of  the 
land.  Of  course  the  important  thing  is  to  trace  the 
child's  route  from  the  basement  laundry,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  block,  to  the  corner." 

"Why,  the  obvious  course  would  be  along  two  sides 
of  the  rectangle, — along  West  Third  Street  and  up 
Thompson  Street  to  the  Square,  wouldn't  it?"  said  Va- 
leska. 

"Undoubtedly.  And  yet,  if  little  Elsa  went  that  way, 
along  the  sidewalk,  it  seems  impossible  that  some  one 
wouldn't  have  noticed  her  and  remarked  the  surprising 
playthings  she  was  holding  in  her  hands." 

"She  might  have  only  just  picked  them  up,  near  the 
corner." 

"Very  true.  We  must  carefully  go  over  all  possible 
routes  and  then  determine  the  probabilities.  But  let's 
go  down  and  look  at  the  exhibits  in  the  case.  I  confess 
I'm  curious  as  to  that  hand." 


Astro's  green  limousine  was  entered,  and  He  and  his 
assistant  drove  immediately  to  the  detective  bureau  on 
Allen  Street.  McGraw  welcomed  them,  and  taking 
them  into  an  inner  room,  displayed  the  relics. 

The  opal  was  nearly  an  inch  long,  a  perfect  ellipse, 
shot  with  colored  fires.  As  it  was  shifted  in  the 
light  the  play  of  color  was  mysterious  and  surprising. 


274       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

It  seemed  now  suffused  with  blood;  now  it  glowed 
with  pale  green;  then  a  blinding  ray  of  pure  yellow 
shot  forth.  It  seemed  to  hold  impossible  distances  and 
atomic  cosmic  worlds  within  its  shell.  It  winked  like 
a  living  thing ;  it  glared  and  blushed ;  it  was  at  once 
baleful  and  beautiful. 

The  hand,  however,  seemed  never  to  have.had  to  do 
with  life  or  motion.  Dried  like  a  mummy,  strung  with 
tendons  like  a  turkey's  claw,  wrinkled,  stiff,  all  color 
dulled  into  the  hue  of  earth,  it  was  a  horrid  thing.  Va- 
leska  turned  away  from  it  in  disgust;  but  Astro  still 
peered  at  it,  examining  it,  inch  by  inch,  from  the  long 
coarse  nails  to  the  dissevered  wrist. 

"Well  ?"  said  McGraw. 

"A  negro's  hand,"  Astro  replied.  "It  has  been  bur- 
ied. A  man  of  at  least  forty.  Cut  from  the  arm  dur- 
ing life.  And  yet — "  He  did  not  finish  the  sentence ; 
instead,  he  said  abruptly,  "Take  us  to  the  laundry." 

At  the  basement  McGraw  left  them,  Astro  preferring 
to  be  alone  with  Valeska  during  his  investigation.  The 
two  entered  the  cellar  after  McGraw  had  introduced 
them  to  the  proprietor.  She  pointed  out  where  the 
child  had  last  been  seen,  and  then  went  on  with  her 
work. 

The  front  of  the  basement  was  used  for  one  of  the 
small  wood  and  coal  depots  common  in  the  poorer  dis- 
tricts of  New  York.  Partitioned  off  with  rough  board- 
ing was  a  little  chamber  where  the  Italian  who  sold 
fuel  lived.  Behind  this  was  the  laundry  where  two 
girls,  bare-armed,  were  washing.  Two  of  them  lifted 
a  basket  of  wet  linen  and  went  out  into  the  yard  with 
it  while  Astro  and  Valeska  watched. 

In  each  of  these  rooms  Astro  spent  considerable 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS  275 

time,  letting  his  eyes  rove  in  every  direction,  searching 
every  foot  of  the  walls,  ceiling,  and  floor.  After  each 
survey  he  gave  a  nod  to  Valeska  and  passed  on.  The 
laundry  itself  occupied  more  time.  He  watched  the 
girls  at  work  and  their  going  and  coming  attentively. 
Then  he  went  back  to  the  wood-pile  and  knelt  down  on 
the  rough  floor,  crawling  here  and  there,  watching, 
smelling,  fingering  everything  in  the  vicinity.  The 
track  he  pursued  led  back  to  the  little  room  where  the 
Italian  slept.  There  he  spent  more  time,  searching 
carefully.  When  he  rose  and  dusted  his  clothes,  he 
handed  Valeska  a  bent  safety-pin. 

"Keep  that  safe,"  he  said.  "I  think  that  little  Elsa 
has  been  playing  under  the  Italian's  cot  bed." 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  the  words  than  the  stairway 
was  darkened,  and  a  man  bearing  a  loaded  basket  came 
down  the  steps.  He  put  down  his  load  and,  seeing 
strangers,  demanded  roughly: 

"What  you  doin'  here,  what  ?" 

"Oh,  looking  about,"  said  Astro  coolly.  "I've  lost 
something,  and  I  came  here  to  find  it." 

The  Italian  stared.    "What  you  a-lost,  what?" 
>    Astro  kept  his  eyes  on  him.    "I've  lost  a  large  opal," 
he  said  calmly. 

The  man  began  to  tremble.    "Opal !    Wha's  that?" 
!     "I'll  show  you."    Astro  walked  into  the  man's  little 
room  and  lifted  the  mattress.    Between  it  and  the  can- 
vas cover  of  the  cot  appeared  a  small  box.     On  its 
cover  was  printed,  "Heintz  &  Co.,  El  Paso,  Texas." 

"I  no  gotta  eet,  I  no  gotta  eet!  Sure!  De  littla 
babee  she  stole  eet  away."  The  man  watched  Astro's 
face  apprehensively. 

"Where  did  you  get  it,  anyway,"  asked  the  Seer. 


276       THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"My  uncle  in  Italy,  he  give  it  to  me,"  the  man  pro- 
tested. 

They  talked  for  ten  minutes  ;  but  the  man  persisted  in 
this  story.  Giving  up  the  attempt,  Astro  was  about  to 
return  to  the  laundry,  when  his  eyes  fell  on  the  basket 
the  man  had  been  carrying.  He  stopped  and  took  off 
a  few  pieces  of  kindling,  then,  after  a  quick  look  at  the 
Italian,  took  something  from  under  the  pieces  of  wood. 
It  was  a  human  skull. 

"Perhaps  you'll  tell  me  where  you  got  this?"  Astro 
demanded  sternly. 

The  Italian's  face  brightened.  "Oh,  a  littla  boy,  he 
geeve  eet  to  me  for  ten  cent,"  he  said  simply. 

Astro  turned  to  Valeska  with  a  baffled  expression. 
"In  heaven's  name  what  kind  of  place  are  we  in, 
where  babies  play  with  dead  hands  and  human  skulls, 
to  say  nothing  of  giant  opals  hid  in  cots  ?" 

"Yes,  yes,  a  littla  boy,  on  Washington  Square,  sure !" 
the  man  repeated. 

Astro  placed  the  skull  on  a  shelf  and  regarded  it  at- 
tentively. For  some  moments  he  said  nothing;  then, 
shrugging  his  shoulders,  he  passed  into  the  laundry. 
Valeska  followed  him. 

"The  man  is  lying,  of  course,"  she  said.  "But  what 
a  barefaced  falsehood !  Would  anything  be  more  im- 
probable?" 

"He's  lying,  it's  true,"  said  Astro ;  "but  it  may  not  be 
all  false,  nevertheless.  We'll  have  to  wait  till  we  fin- 
ish our  examination."  And  with  that,  he  walked  out 
into  the  back  yard. 

The  place  was  half-filled  with  clothes,  drying.  The 
ground  was  completely  bricked  over  and  surrounded 
by  a  high  fence.  On  the  farther  side  of  this  and  be- 


What  kind  of  place  are  we  in,  where  babies  play  with  dead  hands 
and  human  skulls  ?  " 


THE   LUCK  OF  THE   MERRINGTONS     277 

yond  the  yards  of  tfie  abutters  appeared  the  rear  of  the 
houses  on  South  Washington  Square,  or  West  Fourth 
Street,  rising  four  stories  high.  On  the  right  and  left 
were  other  yards.  Astro  began  at  the  right-hand  side 
of  the  house  and  examined  the  fence  foot  by  foot  all 
round  the  three  sides,  till  he  had  come  back  to  the 
house  again  at  the  left-hand  side.  Then  he  looked  up  at 
the  windows  of  the  house  opposite.  A  second  examina- 
tion of  the  fence  opposite  the  laundry  took  more  time. 
Meanwhile,  Valeska  followed  him  and  did  her  best  to 
interpret  his  movements. 

"Well,"  he  said,  as  he  returned  to  the  laundry  door, 
"what  have  you  discovered  ?" 

She  spoke  eagerly.  "Why,  there's  a  hole  broken  in 
the  fence  on  the  north  side,  and  it  seems  to  me  it's  big 
enough  for  a  baby  to  crawl  through.  Besides,  as  the 
clothes  are  hung  now,  it  is  well  hidden,  and  little  Elsa 
might  easily  have  got  through  unnoticed." 

"Did  you  notice  her  footprints  beyond,  in  the  earth 
of  the  other  back  yard  ?" 

"No."    Valeska  was  apologetic. 

"Well,  they  are  there.    Nothing  else?" 

"Why,  no." 

"Look  again !" 

Valeska  went  carefully  along  the  fence  and  finally 
stopped  at  some  vertical  scars  half-way  up  the  north 
wall.  "What  do  they  mean  ?"  she  asked. 

"That's  the  false  half  of  our  Italian  friend's  tale," 
said  Astro.  "Never  mind  them  for  the  present.  Now 
we'll  call  at  the  house  opposite." 

They  left  the  basement  and  walked  round  the  block, 
climbed  over  some  excavations  in  the  street,  and  rang 
the  bell.  A  buxom,  jolly  young  woman  opened  the 


278        THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

door.  Astro  asked  for  rooms  to  let,  preferably  in  the 
rear. 

"We  ain't  got  but  one  now,"  she  replied.  "That's  on 
the  third  floor  up,  and  it  ain't  vacant  yet  though.  You 
can  look  at  it.  Was  you  married  ?" 

Astro  laughed  and,  ignoring  the  question,  followed 
the  woman  up  three  flights  of  stairs,  followed  by  his 
assistant.  The  landlady  threw  open  a  door,  and  the 
three  entered.  Astro  gave  a  quick  look  around  the 
apartment. 

It  was  in  confusion,  cluttered  with  clothing  and 
newspapers,  old  boots  and  cooking  utensils. 

"And  he  ain't  paid  me  for  t'ree  weeks  yet,  neither !" 
she  added.  "I  give  him  the  bounce  two  days  ago.  He 
come  home  drunk  in  my  house !  I  don't  keep  no  lodg- 
ers like  that !" 

"What  day  was  it  he  came  home  drunk?"  Astro 
asked. 

"Only  Thursday.  He  nearly  fell  out  the  window, 
he  was  so  soused.  He  had  a  black  eye,  too." 

"What  time  was  it?" 

"Oh,  about  four  o'clock.  Look  at  them  rags,  now! 
What  d'ye  think  of  that !  The  pig  dog !"  She  picked 
up  a  long  dirty  strip  of  cloth  on  the  floor.  "Bah !"  she 
cried.  "It  smells  like  a  graveyard,  don't  it?" 

Astro  took  the  rag  and  examined  it  carefully.  It 
smelled  strongly  of  creosote.  He  laid  it  on  a  table, 
and  with  a  secret  sign  called  Valeska's  attention  to 
it.  Then  he  walked  to  the  window,  threw  up  the  sash, 
and  looked  down. 

"It  would  be  a  bad  drop,  wouldn't  it?"  he  said. 

The  landlady  laughed.  "I  only  wish  he  had  fell 
out!" 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS  279 

"Who  lives  on  the  floor  below  ?" 

"Oh,  a  Spaniard  and  his  wife;  but  they  ain't  been 
here  for  two  weeks  now.  They  pay  all  the  same." 

"And  on  the  second  story  ?" 

"Oh,  I  live  there  myself  with  my  dog." 

Suddenly  Astro  exclaimed  aloud,  "The  deuce !  I've 
dropped  my  hat.  How  stupid !  I'll  have  to  go  down 
in  the  yard  and  get  it." 

"Never  mind ;  I'll  go  down,"  said  the  woman. 

Astro,  however,  insisted,  and  before  she  had  a 
chance  to  offer  again  he  was  running  down-stairs.  A 
sign  to  Valeska  told  her  to  occupy  the  woman's  atten- 
tion for  a  while;  and  this  Valeska  did  successfully. 
Finally  she  and  the  landlady  walked  down-stairs,  the 
girl  talking  with  animation,  the  woman  giggling  and 
laughing  and  showing  a  set  of  big  good-natured  dim- 
ples. They  waited  in  the  hall  for  Astro  to  return. 

He  shook  hands  with  the  landlady  cordially.  "I'll 
let  you  know  about  the  room,  if  I  want  it,"  he  said. 
"But  I  like  the  landlady  better  than  I  do  the  room. 
What  are  they  doing  on  West  Fourth  Street?"  he 
continued.  "Digging  for  a  new  drain  ?" 

"Yes,"  she  said.  "All  the  time  they  are  digging  up, 
somewheres.  It  makes  me  tired,  this  New  York!  I 
wish  they'd  get  it  finished." 

"When  will  your  lodger  come  back  to  pack  up  his 
things?" 

"Oh,  I  wish  I  knew  my  own  self.  He's  a  crook,  I 
think,  that  man ;  he's  got  a  bad  eye.  All  the  time  he 
brings  such  funny  things  home.  Bags  and  things,  and 
sometimes  watches." 

As  soon  as  Astro  and  Valeska  were  alone  he  smiled 
and  said,  "Well,  it's  as  easy  as  I  said  it  was  going  to 


280       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

be,  isn't  it?  All  we  have  to  do  now  is  to  search  the 
hospitals." 

Valeska  thought  it  over.  Then  she  spoke  slowly. 
"I  suppose  that  rag  was  wrapped  round  the  hand, 
wasn't  it?" 

Astro  nodded. 

"The  man  came  home  drunk — he  sat  down  by  the 
open  window  and  dropped  the  hand  ?" 

Astro  nodded  again. 

"The  baby  crawled  through  the  hole  in  the  fence 
with  the  opal,  I  see  that.  She  found  the  hand  in  the 
yard  under  the  window,  where  it  had  been  dropped. 
Then,  somehow,  she  passed  through  the  kitchen  and 
came  out  on  West  Fourth  Street,  here,  and  walked  to 
the  corner,  where  she  met  the  policeman.  That's  all 
plain  enough.  But  where  did  this  man  get  the  hand, 
and  where  did  the  Italian  get  the  opal  ?" 

"Take  the  last  question  first.  You  recall  the  up-and- 
down  marks  on  the  fence  ?" 

Valeska  assented.  "Oh!  The  Italian  climbed  over 
there?" 

"He  must  have.  He  must  have  seen  the  box  drop. 
He  climbed  the  fence  and  grabbed  the  box  and  didn't 
notice  the  hand.  Then  the  baby  came  along,  before 
this  man,  who  was  evidently  a  pickpocket,  awoke  from 
his  stupor.  You  see,  he  came  home  with  the  bag  he 
had  snatched — " 

"Oh !  That  was  that  leather  bag  with  the  handle 
cut?" 

"Of  course.  He  went  to  the  window  and  sat  down, 
unwrapped  the  dead  hand,  and  dropped  it,  or  placed  it 
in  his  lap.  Then  he  looked  at  the  opal,  and,  beginning 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS  281 

to  drowse,  dropped  both  into  the  yard.  When  I  went 
down  there  I  saw  footprints,  undoubtedly  the  Italian's, 
in  the  earth." 

"But  that  leads  nowhere,  after  all?"  said  Valeska. 
"How  in  the  world  should  an  immense  opal  and  a  hand 
be  in  the  bag  that  was  snatched  ?" 

"That's  what  we  have  to  find  out,"  said  Astro. 

"And  why  should  the  Italian  have  a  human  skull  in 
his  basket?" 

Astro  laughed.  "That's  where  the  true  half  of  his 
lie  comes  in.  Undoubtedly  a  boy  did  sell  it  to  him.  It 
wasn't  till  I  spoke  to  the  woman  about  the  excavations 
in  the  street  here  that  I  recalled  that  Washington 
Square  was  in  old  days  the  Totters  Field/  Many 
graves  have  been  found  here,  and  no  doubt  the  gamins 
of  the  neighborhood  have  watched  every  shovel  and  got 
the  skulls  there.  The  Italian  fancied  it, — thought  per- 
haps he  could  sell  it  to  some  doctor, — and  so  brought  it 
home.  In  fact,  I  think  we  have  eliminated  him  from 
the  affair  altogether.  Of  course,  he'd  never  dare  say 
he  stole  the  opal." 

"And  what  about  searching  the  hospitals  ?" 

"For  the  original  owner  of  the  bag,  of  course.  The 
thief  came  home  with  a  bruised  eye.  That  means  he 
had  a  fight ;  but,  as  he  brought  off  his  booty,  he  must 
have  punished  his  man  pretty  badly.  Consequently  he 
is  now  probably  in  a  hospital.  We  have  to  look  for  a 
man  from  El  Paso ;  for  there  is  where  he  got  the  opal, 
or  at  least  the  box  in  which  it  was  kept.  Well,  we'll 
leave  that  till  to-morrow.  I  believe  I  have  an  engage- 
ment for  five  o'clock,  haven't  I  ?" 

"Yes.    A  Miss  Merrington." 


282        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"Who  is  she?" 

"I  haven't  found  out  anything  about  her.  You'll 
have  to  hurry." 

They  got  into  the  limousine  and  drove  rapidly  to  the 
studio,  where  Miss  Merrington  was  waiting.  While 
Valeska  busied  herself  with  the  file  of  daily  papers  she 
had  as  yet  had  no  chance  to  look  over,  Astro  inter- 
viewed his  visitor  in  the  great  studio. 

Miss  Merrington  was  a  tall  willowy  brunette,  with 
plenty  of  humor  in  her  face,  well  dressed,  and  evi- 
dently fairly  well-to-do.  She  had  come,  it  seemed,  on 
a  peculiar  errand.  In  brief,  as  she  told  it  to  Astro,  it 
was  this : 

Major  Merrington,  her  grandfather,  had  been  a 
United  States  Army  officer  on  a  special  errand  in 
Mexico  at  the  time  of  Maximilian's  regime.  He  had 
had  the  good  fortune  to  be  of  service  to  the  emperor, 
who  had  been  duly  grateful.  In  return  for  his  serv- 
ices, the  emperor,  at  their  last  meeting  shortly  before 
the  end  of  Maximilian's  tragic  career,  had  rather 
jocosely  offered  him  his  choice  of  two  gifts.  The  first 
was  a  large  box  of  the  famous  cigarettes  of  Chiapas, 
made  by  an  old  woman  who  had  been  famous  for  her 
tobacco  for  years  and  had  recently  died.  This  cutting 
off  of  the  already  limited  supply  had  increased  the 
value  of  the  genuine  cigarettes  enormously.  Mexicans 
held  them  in  almost  superstitious  esteem.  They  were 
said  to  have  all  kinds  of  esoteric  virtues  and  to  bring 
extraordinary  happiness.  The  first  cigarette,  when 
smoked,  was  as  mild  as  Virginia's  tobacco.  The  sec- 
ond was  always  as  strong  as  a  black  cigar  and  pro- 
duced a  sort  of  half-trance,  like  opium. 


THE   LUCK  OF   THE   MERRINGTONS     283 

The  alternative  gift  was  an  old  Aztec  relic.  Miss 
Merrington  did  not  herself  know  its  exact  nature ;  but 
she  did  know  that  all  sorts  of  good  luck  were  attrib- 
uted to  its  possession.  It  was  this  gift  that  the  major 
had  chosen.  "The  Luck  of  the  Montezumas"  it  was 
called ;  but,  as  the  "Luck  of  the  Merringtons"  its  name 
seemed  to  be  as  inapt  as  it  had  been  to  the  Aztec  em- 
perors. With  it,  whatever  it  was,  and  escorted  by  a 
trusted  negro  slave  named  Ptolemy,  the  major  had 
journeyed  half-way  from  Chihuahua  to  El  Paso,  when 
his  party  was  attacked  by  brigands.  Their  last  stand 
was  made  in  an  adobe  ruin,  where  the  major  had  been 
killed.  What  had  become  of  the  "Luck  of  the  Merring- 
tons" and  what  it  really  was,  was  what  Miss  Merring- 
ton had  come,  in  a  rather  skeptical  and  playful  humor, 
to  ask  of  Astro  the  Seer. 

She  had  got  so  far,  when  a  muffled  electric  bell  was 
faintly  heard  in  the  studio.  Astro,  who  had  listened 
attentively,  excused  himself  to  get  a  book  of  astrologic 
tables  which  he  said  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  con- 
sult before  he  could  answer  Miss  Merrington's  ques- 
tion. Around  a  corner  of  the  book-shelf  was  a  sort  of 
alcove  cupboard,  hung  with  black  curtains.  He  parted 
them,  and  a  glass  window  was  disclosed.  Pressed 
against  this  was  a  newspaper  showing  the  "Lost  and 
Found"  column.  One  was  ringed  about  with  a  blue 
pencil.  It  read : 

"LOST — A  large  opal,  on  Second  Avenue, 
Thursday  last,  at  two  p.  M.  Finder  will  be  paid 
a  generous  reward  and  no  questions  asked. 
HENRY  MERRINGTON,  Bellevue  Hospital." 

Astro  dropped  the  velvet  curtains,  reached  on  the 
shelf  for  an  immense  volume  bound  in  heavy  leather 


284       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

with  silver  clasps.  He  took  it  to  the  table  near  where 
his  visitor  sat  and  threw  it  open.  The  pages  were 
parchment,  written  with  beautiful  medieval  letters, 
with  illuminated  initials  and  many  zodiacal  diagrams. 
For  some  time  he  turned  the  leaves  thoughtfully ;  then 
stopped  to  ask : 

"Do  you  know  the  exact  date  of  your  grandfather's 
birth?" 

Miss  Merrington,  unfortunately,  did  not.  He  asked, 
then,  for  her  birthday,  which  she  gave  to  the  hour. 
Astro  turned  to  another  diagram,  and  taking  a  pencil, 
made  a  few  computations. 

"H'm.  Under  the  sign  Libra,  with  Mars  and  Saturn 
in  the  ascendant — a  daughter  of  the  Ninth  House — the 
moon.  Wait  a  moment.  Let  me  see  your  palm." 

She  drew  off  her  glove,  and,  not  a  little  mystified, 
but  still  smiling  as  at  a  child's  game,  showed  her  hand. 
Astro  gave  it  a  glance,  turned  it  over,  doubled  the 
knuckle  of  the  third  finger.  Then  he  sat  down,  nod- 
ding his  head. 

"It's  too  absurd,"  he  said.  "One  can't  often  strike  a 
fact  so  definitely  as  this  appears.  If  I'm  not  mistaken, 
the  'Luck  of  the  Merringtons'  is  here  in  New  York. 
It's — let's  see,"  he  looked  at  his  diagram  and  figures 
again — "forty-seven,  that's  right.  Violet,  indigo,  blue, 
green, — that's  fourth, — yellow,  orange,  red, — that's 
seven.  Green  and  red —  Why,  it  must  be  an  opal; 
that's  the  only  stone  that's  both  green  and  red.  It's  a 
fire  opal,  probably  a  Mexican  gem,  not  the  Austrian 
milky-blue  stone.  Curious,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes,"  she  drawled,  "if  it's  true." 

"Well,  if  you'll  wait  a  moment,  I  may  be  able  to  find 
just  where  it  is." 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS  285 

"Oh,  I'll  wait  a  long  time  to  get  back  the  family 
luck,  bad  or  good,"  she  said. 

Astro  shut  his  eyes  and  remained  silent  for  a  time. 
Then  he  shuddered,  put  his  hand  to  his  head,  and  said 
slowly,  "I  get  the  name  Allen.  Allen  Street,  that's  it. 
And  I  see  a  man  in  a  blue  coat  guarding  it.  He  has 
brass  buttons — oh,  yes,  he's  a  policeman."  He  shud- 
dered again,  and  appeared  to  come  to  himself.  "What 
did  I  say  ?"  he  asked  ingenuously. 

Miss  Merrington  repeated  his  words. 

"Oh,  that  must  mean  the  detective  bureau,"  said 
Astro. 

"It's  perfectly  wonderful — at  least,  if  it  turns  out 
so !"  the  woman  exclaimed.  "I  can't  wait  to  find  out, 
though  I  don't  see  what  I  can  do.  I  haven't  lost  any 
opal,  and  I  can't  pretend  to.  I  only  know  the  old  story 
about  the  'Luck  of  the  Merringtons'  as  my  father  told 
it  to  me.  You  see,  grandfather  never  told  in  his  letter 
just  what  it  was.  No  doubt  he  was  afraid  of  being 
robbed  of  it.  But  there's  one  other  question  I'd  like  to 
ask  you.  I  have  an  older  brother  who  went  to  Mexico 
two  months  ago,  and  we  have  had  only  two  letters 
from  him.  Can  you  tell  me  where  he  is  now  ?" 

"His  name  is  Henry,  isn't  it?" 

Miss  Merrington  stared.  "Why — yes!  How  did 
you  know?" 

"It's  my  business  to  know  such  things,"  said  Astro. 
"Your  brother  has  had  an  accident  but  is  not  seri- 
ously hurt.  You  will  hear  from  him  in  a  very  short 
time." 

"An  accident!"  Miss  Merrington's  face  paled. 
"That  frightens  me  dreadfully!  Do  you  know,"  she 
went  on,  "somehow,  what  happened  to  my  grandfather 


586'      THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

is  so  suggestive !  My  brother  went  to  Mexico  on  pur- 
pose to  trace  up  the  'Luck  of  the  Merringtons.'  He 
had  a  foolish  idea  that  he  could  find  it.  It  has  always 
been  a  family  legend  only,  but  we  children  took  it 
seriously.  Lucky  or  unlucky,  we  wanted  it  in  our  pos- 
session. Henry  always  said  that  if  he  ever  had  time 
and  money  for  a  vacation,  he  was  going  to  Chihuahua 
to  track  down  that  heirloom,  whatever  it  was.  It  was 
because  I  was  so  impatient  to  find  out  about  it  that  I 
came  to  you.  I  thought  you  might  give  me  some  hint 
that  would  help  him  find  it.  I  wasn't  worried  at  his 
not  writing,  because  I  knew  he  might  be  away  from 
the  railroad ;  but  I  was  impatient  to  have  news.  And 
I've  heard  such  things  of  you,  so  I  thought  I'd  come, 
for  the  fun  of  it.  I  never  expected  you  could  do  any- 
thing so  specific  as  this,  though.  Now  I'm  worried. 
Oh,  I  hope  Henry's  all  right  and  safe!  If  he  only 
comes  back,  I  don't  care  if  we  don't  get  the  'Luck  of 
the  Merringtons,'  though  heaven  knows  we  need  it 
badly  enough!  Our  luck  couldn't  possibly  be  worse 
than  it  is  now,  I  think.  I've  been  a  companion  for  a 
rich  woman  for  a  year;  but  I  can't  stand  it  a  day 
longer,  and  I'm  going  to  be  a  stenographer." 

"I  predict  a  better  fate  for  you  than  that,"  said 
Astro.  "I  think  the  family  luck  will  return.  You  wait 
patiently  for  a  few  days  and  see  if  I'm  not  right." 

Valeska  came  into  the  studio  as  soon  as  Miss  Mer- 
rington  had  gone.  "It  seems  to  me  you  took  a  long 
chance,"  she  said,  as  she  sat  down. 

"My  dear,"  said  Astro,  throwing  himself  on  the  red 
velvet  couch  and  drawing  up  his  narghile,  "I  took  no 
chance  at  all.  If  this  Henry  Merrington  who  adver- 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS  287 

tised  is  not  her  brother,  the  opal  is,  of  course,  not  the 
'Luck  of  the  Merringtons' ;  but  she  will  never  know 
whether  it  is  or  not.  If  her  brother  has  gone  on  a 
rough  trip  to  Mexico,  he'll  scarcely  escape  without  an 
accident  of  some  kind,  though  it  may  be  slight.  What- 
ever he  finds  as  a  relic,  he  can't  prove  it  is  the  true 
'luck/ — can  he  ? — and  I'll  have  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 
But  we  must  look  him  up  immediately  and  get  his 
story.  I  confess  I'm  still  at  sea  about  that  hand." 

"Why  didn't  he  let  his  sister  know,  if  he  was  in- 
jured?" 

"Probably  didn't  want  to  frighten  her.  Perhaps  he 
was  drunk.  Now  he's  lost  the  'luck,'  he  hopes  to  get  it 
back  before  she  finds  out  he  is  here,  so  as  not  to  disap- 
point her.  But  come.  I  confess  I  can't  wait.  We 
can't  get  in  after  eight  o'clock." 

The  two  set  out,  therefore,  without  waiting  for  din- 
ner, and  after  Astro  had  sent  up  a  card  marked  "opal", 
a  nurse  brought  word  that  her  patient  could  be  seen. 
He  had  been  robbed  and  sandbagged,  as  Astro  had  sur- 
mised. He  had  lain  unconscious  for  several  hours; 
but  was  now  recuperating,  and  would  need  only  an- 
other day  in  which  to  be  quite  well. 

He  was  frankly  curious  as  to  his  guests,  and  could 
hardly  greet  them  before  he  had  sent  away  the  nurse 
and  demanded  their  errand.  In  a  few  words  Astro 
told  him  exactly  what  had  happened  to  the  famous 
opal,  without  confessing  how  it  had  been  traced.  In 
as  mysterious  a  manner,  he  let  Merrington  know  that 
as  a  Seer  he  was  aware  of  the  esoteric  and  magic  prop- 
erties of  the  stone  and  its  tradition. 

Merrington  listened  with  immense  interest,  delighted 


288        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

to  learn  that  the  opal  had  been  found,  and  that  he  could 
probably  claim  it  without  a  reward.  He  then  took  up 
the  story  of  his  quest  where  his  sister  had  left  it. 

"I  founded  my  whole  hope  of  finding  the  thing  on 
what  I  had  heard  of  Rolemy,  the  negro.  I  knew  he 
was  brave  and  clever  and  faithful.  I  always  put  this 
murder  with  the  story  of  the  Sancy  diamond,  which  I 
suppose  you  know.  Baron  Sancy,  you  remember, 
when  told  that  the  messenger  who  was  carrying  the  cel- 
ebrated gem  had  been  killed,  said,  'Never  mind,  the 
Sancy  diamond  is  not  lost!'  He  sent  men  to  disinter 
the  body  of  the  messenger,  and  found  the  stone  in  the 
stomach  of  the  corpse  of  his  faithful  retainer.  That's 
something  the  way  I  reasoned  it  out.  It  was  a  wild- 
goose  chase ;  but  I  succeeded  marvelously.  I  discov- 
ered the  place  where  the  attack  on  my  grandfather  had 
been  made ;  I  found  the  very  adobe  ruin  where  he  had 
made  the  last  stand.  Some  of  the  old  people  there  re- 
membered the  story, — how  my  grandfather  had  been 
shot  first,  and  how  Ptolemy,  defending  the  wooden 
door,  had  his  hand  chopped  off  with  an  ax  before 
the  brigands  could  enter.  But  no  one  had  heard  of  any 
precious  stone  or  other  valuable  thing  that  would  ac- 
count for  the  legend,  though  everybody  in  Chihuahua 
knew  the  story  of  the  "cigarettes  of  Chiapas'. 

"Well,  it  took  a  month  to  locate  the  grave ;  but,  after 
disinterring  several  coffins,  I  found  one  larger  than 
usual,  decayed  almost  to  paper.  And  when  I  opened 
it — which  was  easy,  it  was  so  rotten — there,  in  the 
skull,  between  the  upper  and  lower  jaw-bone,  was  a  fire 
opal  as  big  as  the  end  of  my  thumb !  It  was  the  'Luck 
of  the  Merringtons/  I  was  sure,  if  for  no  other  reason 
because,  from  that  time  till  it  was  snatched  out  of  my 


THE  LUCK  OF  THE  MERRINGTONS  289 

hand  on  Second  Avenue,  things  went  gorgeously  with 
me.  One  of  my  mosos  put  me  on  to  an  abandoned 
claim,  an  old  gold-mine  that  had  been  lost  for  years. 
In  a  month  I  sold  out  my  interests  for  thirty  thousand 
dollars.  Every  one  in  the  place  became  my  friend.  I 
found  an  old  schoolmate  who  insisted  on  my  going  into 
partnership  with  him,  and — on  the  train  coming  north, 
I  met  the  nicest  girl  in  the  world !" 

He  sank  back  in  his  cot  with  a  smile.  "Now  my 
luck's  come  back,"  he  added,  "I'm  going  to  present  the 
opal  to  my  sister  Helen  and  see  what  it'll  do  for  her." 

"But  one  thing  I  don't  understand,"  said  Astro. 
"Did  you  get  nothing  but  this  opal  from  the  grave  ?" 

Merrington  did  not  notice  the  incongruity  of  the  re- 
mark, apparently.  "Oh,  I  forgot!"  he  exclaimed. 
"That  was  a  funny  thing,  too!  You  know  Ptolemy's 
hand  had  been  buried  with  him.  Something  had  mum- 
mified it,  somehow,  while  the  rest  of  the  body  was 
pretty  far  gone, — nothing,  really,  but  bones  and  a  few 
tendons.  Well,  I  thought  I'd  take  the  dried  hand  as  a 
relic  of  poor  old  Ptolemy.  It  was  ghastly ;  but  I  didn't 
know  but  that  would  bring  luck,  too.  But  no  doubt 
that  was  what  queered  me,  after  all.  I  wonder  what 
became  of  it?" 

"You'll  find  that  at  the  detective  bureau,  too,"  said 
Astro.  "If  I  were  you,  I'd  give  it  decent  and  honor- 
able burial." 

"I  will!"  said  Merrington.  "And  by  to-morrow 
afternoon  I'm  going  to  appear  and  surprise  my  sister. 
I  hope  she  hasn't  worried  about  me." 


"But  I  always  thought  opals  were  unlucky,"  said  Va- 


290       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

leska,  as  she  left  the  hospital  with  the  Master  of  Mys- 
teries. 

"My  dear,"  he  replied;  "nothing  is  unlucky,  but 
thinking  makes  it  so ;  and  nothing  is  lucky  but — "  He 
looked  at  her  a  bit  sadly,  adding:  "Well,  I'm  afraid 
you'd  hardly  understand." 


THE  COUNT'S  COMEDY 

ENGROSSED  in  his  own  thoughts  a  young  man 
waited  in  the  great  dim  studio  of  Astro  the  Seer, 
nervously  punching  the  magnificent  Turkish  rug  with 
the  ferrule  of  his  cane.  He  was  young,  well  groomed 
and  smartly  dressed,  apparently  well-bred.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  he  was  more  worried  than  impatient. 

He  looked  up  with  a  scowl  as  Astro,  dressed  in  his 
red  silk  robe,  wearing  his  turban  with  the  moonstone 
clasp,  leisurely  entered  the  apartment.  For  a  moment 
the  young  man  gazed  at  the  Seer  as  if  to  estimate  the 
man's  caliber  and  character.  Astro  said  nothing;  but, 
bowing  gravely,  took  his  seat  on  the  big  couch  and 
lazily  lighted  his  water-pipe,  waiting  for  his  visitor  to 
speak. 

"I  have  come  to  you,"  the  young  man  said  finally, 
"although  I  must  confess  I  don't  quite  believe  in  occult 
powers,  because  I  have  an  idea  that  you  must  know 
considerable  about  human  nature.  You  certainly  see 
plenty  of  it." 

Astro  bowed  again,  and  a  faint  smile  curled  his  lips. 

"I  have  also  heard  you  called  the  Master  of  Mys- 
teries," the  young  man  continued. 

Again  Astro  bowed. 

The  young  man  rose  and  handed  the  palmist  a  card. 
It  read,  "Mr.  John  Wallington  Shaw." 

291 


292        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

Astro  looked  at  it  and  tossed  it  on  the  table. 

"I  suppose  you  know  who  I  am  ?" 

Astro  again  bowed. 

"It's  a  part  of  your  business,  I  suppose.  You  may 
have  read  in  the  papers  also  of  my  sister's  engagement 
to  Count  D'Ampleri?" 

The  same  sober  gesture  of  assent  from  the  palmist. 

Shaw  sat  down  again,  shoved  his  hands  into  his 
pockets,  crossed  his  legs,  and  leaned  back.  "Mr.  As- 
tro," he  said,  "I  have  come  here  on  a  queer  errand.  I 
suppose  you  see  many  strange  things  in  your  profes- 
sion, and  it  seemed  to  me  that  your  experience  would 
enable  you  to  give  me  some  help.  What  I  want  you 
to  do  first  is  to  believe  something  that's  nearly  incredi- 
ble." 

"My  dear  sir,"  said  Astro,  speaking  at  last,  "nothing 
is  incredible.  From  what  I  know  of  life,  the  more  im- 
possible it  seems  to  be,  the  more  probable  it  is.  For 
that  matter,  one  has  only  to  read  the  papers.  But  se- 
riously, if  I  can  help  you  in  any  way,  I  shall  be  glad  to 
do  so." 

Shaw  now  took  a  gold  cigarette  case  from  his 
pocket,  selected  a  cigarette,  knocked  it  against  his  fist, 
and  struck  a  match.  After  the  first  long  inhalation  he 
remarked,  "You'll  promise,  then,  to  believe  the  ex- 
traordinary story  I  tell  you  ?" 

"Mr.  Shaw,"  Astro  replied,  "it's  easy  enough  for  me 
to  perceive  that  you  are  a  gentleman.  I  expect  an  equal 
amount  of  perception  from  you.  At  any  rate,  I  hardly 
see  why  you  should  come  here  to  tell  me  an  untruth." 

"But  what  I  mean  is,  I'm  afraid  you'll  think  I'm — 
well,  a  bit  crazy.  It's  simply  too  ridiculous.  Why,  I 
wouldn't  believe  it  myself,  hardly !" 


THE   COUNT'S   COMEDY  293 

"Let's  have  it.  You  have  really  excited  my  curios- 
ity." Astro  folded  his  arms  and  looked  at  Shaw  with 
sharp  eyes.  "You  certainly  show  no  symptoms  of  de- 
rangement yet." 

Shaw  gave  a  nervous  laugh.  "Oh,  it  isn't  I ;  it's  my 
sister.  That's  why  it  is  so  hard  to  tell.  I  assume,  of 
course,  that  this  confession  will  be  kept  confidential. 
Not  only  that,  but  I  expect  you  to  help  me  out — for  an 
ample  consideration." 

Astro  bowed.  "I  have  secrets  enough  in  this  head 
of  mine  to  destroy  a  dozen  of  the  first  families  of  New 
York,"  he  said  a  little  dryly. 

Shaw  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "Very  well.  I'll 
waste  no  more  time.  You'll  see  how  useless  it  is  to 
appeal  to  the  police,  or  even  to  my  lawyer.  But  first, 
have  you  heard  of  the  robbery  of  Mrs.  Landor's 
jewels?" 

"Oh,  yes.  The  thief,  I  believe,  has  never  been  dis- 
covered. It  always  seemed  to  me  curious,  too,  that  no 
reward  for  their  return  had  ever  been  offered.  But 
what  have  they  to  do  with  your  sister?" 

Shaw  gazed  up  at  the  ceiling,  then  down  at  the  floor. 
"Really,  I'm  almost  ashamed  to  tell  the  story,  it's  so 
confoundedly  absurd.  We  are  Westerners,  you  know, 
of  good,  sound,  and  healthy  stock.  We're  as  sane  as 
Shakespeare.  No  trace  of  brain  storms  or  parancea  in 
our  family !  The  thing  hasn't  gone  far ;  but  it  will  be 
talked  about  if  I  can't  stop  it ;  that  is,  if  you  can't.  I 
don't  know  what  to  do.  I'm  up  a  tree.  You've  got  to 
get  hold  of  whoever's  responsible  for  this  thing,  and 
tie  them  up,  some  way.  It's  a  serious  problem  for  us." 

Astro  put  his  fingers  to  his  lips  and  yawned. 

Shaw  took  the  hint  and  proceeded  abruptly :    "Mrs. 


294        THE    MASTER    OF    MYSTERIES 

Lander's  jewels  are  at  my  house,  a  whole  teapotful  of 
them!" 

"Ah !    You  know  the  thief,  then  ?" 

"No,  I  don't ;  nor  do  I  know  what  the  deuce  I'm  to 
do  with  the  loot !  One  thing  you  are  to  do  is  to  re- 
turn it." 

"And  be  accused  of  the  theft  myself?" 

"Oh,  that  won't  need  to  follow.  They  have  to  be 
sent  back  somehow.  I  don't  want  my  sister  to  be  ac- 
cused of  cleptomania;  the  other  thing  is  quite  bad 
enough.  The  idea  of  a  gorilla  in  a  top  hat  and  all  that ! 
It  would  make  a  pretty  scandal  if  it  was  found  out;  I 
can  fancy  how  people  would  talk.  We  have  a  great 
many  friends,  you  know."  He  smiled  cynically  at  the 
word. 

"She  is  innocent,  I  presume,  then  ?"  said  Astro.  "But 
what  about  the  gorilla  ?" 

"There's  no  use  in  beating  about  the  bush  any  long- 
er," said  Shaw.  "Only,  you  see,  I  wanted  to  make  sure 
of  you  before  I  trusted  you  with  the  secret.  I'll  go 
ahead  with  it,  and  if  you  call  it  a  cock  and  bull  story, 
I  don't  see  that  I  can  blame  you.  You  see,  it  was  this 
way :  We  were  down  at  our  country  place  at  Lake- 
side,— a  big,  rambling  old  house  with  a  veranda  all 
round  it  and  long  French  windows  opening  out  on  it. 
My  sister's  room  has  a  little  balcony ;  it's  on  the  second 
floor.  She  had  gone  up-stairs  to  dress  for  dinner.  I 
was  in  my  own  room,  a  little  way  down  the  hall,  and 
my  door  was  closed  at  the  time.  We  had  a  lot  of  com- 
pany down  for  the  week-end ;  it  was  ten  days  ago." 

"Who  were  there?" 

"Oh,  the  count,  of  course,  and  his  valet,  and  the 
.Churches — you  know,  Simeon  Church  and  his  wife — 


THE    COUNT'S    COMEDY  295 

the  Raddelle  girls,  and  two  or  three  others.  I'll  give 
you  a  list  later,  if  you  like." 

"All  right,  go  ahead." 

"It  happened,  as  I  say,  just  before  dinner ;  about  half 
past  seven.  It  was  quite  dark.  We  don't  light  up 
much  outside, — there  was  nothing  going  on  at  that 
time.  Well,  I  heard  her  door  open,  and  then  she  was 
pounding  on  mine,  and  she  called  out,  'John,  John! 
Come  here  quick !'  I  opened  the  door,  half-dressed  as 
I  was,  and  she  was  in  a  deuce  of  a  funk.  She  grabbed 
me  by  the  arm  and  pulled  me  down  the  hall  and  shut 
her  door.  Then  she  said,  'Oh!  what  shall  I  do?'  I 
said,  'What's  the  matter,  Ethel?  Have  you  been 
robbed?'  She  was  nearly  fainting,  and  I  thought  she 
would  drop  before  she  could  speak.  But  finally  I  got 
it  out  of  her.  And  her  story  was  a  wonder,  and  that's 
a  fact!" 

Shaw,  in  his  excitement,  rose  and  gesticulated. 

"She  had  sent  her  maid  out  of  the  room  for  some- 
thing, and  had  her  back  to  the  French  window  and 
was  stooping  to  pick  up  a  comb,  when  she  heard  the 
sash  open,  and  she  looked  around  in  a  fright.  There, 
standing  right  in  front  of  her,  was  a  big  black  gorilla, 
bowing  to  her." 

"H'm !"  Astro  concealed  his  amusement. 

"Wait!  I  made  her  tell  me  the  story  half  a  dozen 
times,  and  it  was  the  same  each  time.  The  thing  had 
on  a  silk  hat,  and  a  Peter  Pan  collar,  a  red  necktie,  and 
white  kid  gloves,  and  pearl  gray  spats  buttoned  around 
his  knees." 

Astro  could  control  his  mirth  no  longer,  and  his 
grave  demeanor  exploded  in  a  gust  of  hilarity.  Shaw, 
despite  his  anxiety,  had  to  join  the  laugh. 


296       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"What  do  you  think  of  that  for  a  fairy  tale?  But 
that's  not  half.  This  baboon—" 

"You  said  gorilla  before." 

"Well,  gorilla,  then;  it  doesn't  matter  in  a  night- 
mare like  that.  He  held  a  china  soup-plate  in  one 
hand,  and  in  the  other  a  black  bag, — a  cloth  bag.  By 
Jove !  that  much  I  can  swear  to  myself !  I've  seen  it. 
Well,  the  chimpanzee  thing — " 

"I  thought  it  was  a  baboon." 

"How  the  blazes  do  I  know  ?  I  wasn't  there,  and  if 
I  had  been  I  shouldn't  have  known  the  difference.  It 
may  have  been  a  monkey  or  an  anthropoid  ape,  for  all 
I  know.  Anyway,  it  set  the  soup-plate  down  on  the 
dressing-table,  and  tipped  its  hat  and  said,  'Miss  Ethel 
Shaw,  I  believe?'" 

"Ah !"  said  Astro.    "Now  we're  getting  warmer !" 

"Warm!  He's  made  it  hot  enough  for  poor  Ethel, 
I  can  tell  you !  Then,  without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
— Ethel  was  out  of  her  wits  by  this  time,  though  she 
half  suspected  a  practical  joke,  too, — the  orang-utan — " 

"Or  monkey,"  Astro  interjected,  smiling. 

"Yes,  or  gibbon  perhaps — held  out  the  bag  to  her. 
It  said,  'From  your  friends  and  well-wishers  in  the 
lunatic  asylum.'  Then  it  did  a  graceful  two-step  over 
to  the  window,  recited  lx*  plus  2xy  plus  yV  and  van- 
ished on  to  the  balcony.  My  sister  was  so  frightened 
that  she  dropped  the  bag,  and — bing! — out  dropped 
Mrs.  Landor's  pearls  and  brooches  and  rings  and 
things  all  over  the  floor.  Now  I  ask  you  what 
kind  of  a  story  is  that  to  get  all  about  town?"  He 
stared  at  the  Master  of  Mysteries  gloomily. 

"Well,  it  certainly  would  add  to  the  gaiety  of  na- 
tions," Astro  remarked  quietly;  "but  it  looks  like  a 


Then  it  did  a  graceful  two-step,  recited  "^ 
onto  the  balcony. 


V  and  vanished 


THE    COUNT'S    COMEDY  297 

4 

pretty  slim  case  if  your  sister  had  to  rely  on  it  for  a 
defense." 

"We'd  be  laughed  out  of  court,"  Shaw  said. 

"Did  your  sister  give  you  any  further  description  of 
the  creature,  anything  that  could  identify  the  masquer- 
ader?" 

"Why,  she  said  he  was  a  little  knock-kneed,  she 
thought;  but  that  might  have  been  on  account  of  the 
spats."  He  grinned  sadly,  in  spite  of  himself.  "Oh, 
I  forgot !  By  Jove !  yes !  His  breath  smelled  of  garlic, 
and  he  wore  automobile  goggles !" 

This  was  too  much  for  Astro.  It  was  some  time  be- 
fore he  could  take  the  thing  seriously. 

Shaw  waited  patiently  until  the  palmist  stopped 
laughing.  "I  knew  you'd  think  I  was  a  blanked  fool," 
he  said  mournfully ;  "but  it's  no  joke  to  the  Shaw  fam- 
ily, I  assure  you.  Anybody  would  say  Ethel  was 
crazy.  I  did  myself,  the  very  first  time  she  told  me 
this  yarn.  I  said,  'Ethel,  you're  foolish!'  But  there 
was  the  stuff  to  prove  it !  Then  she  began  to  cry.  The 
worst  of  it  is,  the  count  is  absolutely  convinced  that 
Ethel  is  mad. 

"As  soon  as  we  had  dressed  and  gone  down  to  din- 
ner, Ethel  told  the  story  to  the  whole  crowd.  Of 
course  we  consider  D'Ampleri  already  as  virtually  a 
member  of  the  family,  and  the  others  are  old  friends. 
Oh,  their  friendship  will  be  tested,  all  right  enough! 
The  count  looked  shocked  and  changed  the  subject 
pointedly,  as  if  the  thing  was  suspicious.  It  was  per- 
fectly evident  that  he  discredited  my  sister.  It  made 
me  foam  at  the  mouth;  but  what  could  I  do?  What 
can  we  do  now?  Ethel,  of  course,  persisted  in  her 
story,  and  the  count  has  grown  cooler  and  cooler  ever 


298       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

since.  I'm  afraid  he'll  talk.  We  can  keep  the  others 
quiet,  easily  enough.  They  have  skeletons  of  their 
own  to  hide.  What  do  you  make  of  it,  anyhow?  Is 
there  any  way  out  ?" 

Astro  puffed  at  his  water-pipe  for  a  few  moments  in 
silence,  as  he  thought.  The  smoke,  rising  in  a  blue 
swaying  curve,  writhed  in  a  faint  arabesque  against 
the  velvet  hangings  of  the  walls.  Shaw  had  begun 
punching  holes  in  the  rug  with  his  cane  again.  From 
the  portieres  leading  to  the  reception-room,  where  Va- 
leska,  Astro's  pretty  assistant,  sat,  pretending  to  work, 
came  a  silvery  chime  of  bells  as  the  tall  clock  struck 
four.  It  had  begun  to  grow  a  little  dark.  Astro  pressed 
a  switch  and  lighted  an  electric  lamp  depending  from 
the  ceiling.  Instantly  the  walls  glittered  with  points  of 
light  from  the  embroideries,  the  weapons,  the  golden 
carvings,  and  other  decorations. 

"What  is  your  father  worth  ?"  the  palmist  asked. 

Shaw  seemed  to  awaken  from  a  daze.  "If  you  had 
asked  me  two  weeks  ago,  I'd  have  said,  roughly,  four 
millions,  or  possibly  five.  But  this  recent  deal  in  lead 
has  bit  him  hard.  His  shrinkage  is  nearly  seventy-five 
per  cent.,  I  suppose.  He  was  almost  ruined,  in  fact. 
But  if  you're  in  doubt  as  to  your  fee,  why,  that'll  be 
all  right.  It's  worth  five  thousand  dollars  to  us  to 
have  the  matter  settled.  We'd  have  to  pay  that  in 
blackmail,  I  suppose.  If  you  can  think  of  any  way  to 
return  the  jewels  and  no  questions  asked  and  head  off 
this  insanity  charge,  the  money's  yours." 

"Had  any  dowry  been  settled  on  Count  D'Ampleri  ?" 

Shaw  blushed  faintly.   "Oh,  I  say !"  he  began. 

"I'm  aware  that  it's  a  Continental  practise,  that's 


THE    COUNT'S    COMEDY  299 

all,"  Astro  said  suavely.    "It  is  inevitable  with  an  in- 
ternational marriage,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes.  I  fought  against  it  as  hard  as  I  could;  but 
Ethel  can  make  the  governor  do  anything  she  likes. 
Besides,  my  mother  was  set  on  the  match,  you  know, 
and  she  helped  arrange  all  that.  They  do  it  through 
lawyers,  you  know.  It  isn't  quite  so  crude  as  it  sounds ; 
but  it's  bad  enough.  Yes,  we  arranged  to  buy  the  title 
for  Ethel,  I  suppose."  He  kept  his  eyes  on  the  rug  in 
some  embarrassment.  There  was  a  trace  of  anger  in 
his  tone.  It  was  evident  that  the  affair  did  not  please 
him  in  any  way. 

"Very  well.  I'll  undertake  the  commission,  delicate 
as  it  is,"  Astro  said,  rising.  "I'd  like  to  have  the  jew- 
els delivered  here  sometime  next  week.  You  had  best 
bring  them  yourself.  I  wish  also  you'd  find  out  just 
when  the  Count  D'Ampleri  arrived  in  America,  and' 
by  what  boat.  I  suppose  you  can  tell  me  the  day  and 
hour  of  your  sister's  birth?" 

Shaw  wheeled  round  on  him.  "Oh,  come,  now !"  he 
protested.  "I  came  to  you  because  you  know  or  ought 
to  know  most  of  the  weaknesses  of  human  nature ;  but 
if  you  think  I  take  any  stock  in  astrology  or  occult- 
ism—" 

"What  was  the  date,  did  you  say?"  Astro's  voice 
was  hard. 

"October  I4th,  1885 ;  nine  A.  M.,  I  believe."  Shaw 
scowled. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Shaw,"  said  Astro,  "if  you  give  me 
this  commission,  you  must  let  me  do  it  my  own  way. 
It  won't  matter  to  you,  I  should  think,  how  I  do  it. 
You  are,  I  presume,  an  agnostic.  Very  good,  I  am  a 


300       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

fatalist.  Go  to  a  detective  or  a  doctor,  if  you  prefer 
modern  science.  I  prefer  the  ancient  lore." 

"I  came  to  you  because  you've  done  harder  things 
than  this,"  Shaw  said  to  placate  the  independent  Seer. 
"Go  ahead  with  your  cusps  and  nativities,  if  you  like, 
only  get  us  out  of  this  fearful  mess  as  safely  and 
quickly  as  you  can." 

"I  hope  to  see  you  on  Monday,"  said  Astro,  bowing 
with  dignity. 


John  Wallington  Shaw  left  the  room.  As  soon  as  he 
had  departed,  Valeska  entered,  laughing,  the  dimples 
showing  in  her  cheeks  and  chin. 

Astro's  pose  had  gone.  He  threw  off  his  robe  and 
turban.  "Did  you  hear  the  uncouth  history  ?"  he  asked. 

Valeska  nodded.  "Of  all  things !  Can  it  be  true?" 

"Easily.  Simple  as  milk.  And  at  the  same  time  one 
of  the  cleverest  schemes  I  ever  heard  of.  It's  all 
straight;  that  is,  all  except  the  jewels.  That  we'll  have 
to  investigate." 

"But  I  don't  understand  it  at  all,"  Valeska  pouted. 

"Have  you  happened  to  hear  that  Count  D'Ampleri 
has  been  paying  rather  too  marked  attention,  for  an 
engaged  man,  to  Miss  Belle  Miller,  the  lady  whom  the 
cruel  wits  of  the  Four  Hundred  have  dubbed  the  'Bay 
Mare'?" 

"I  knew  she  was  in  here  one  day  for  a  reading." 

"And  was  much  interested  in  my  prediction  that 
she  was  to  marry  a  titled  foreigner.  I  heard  the  gos- 
sip at  the  Lorssons  the  day  I  went  to  that  tea.  I  never 
forget  items  of  that  sort.  They  are  more  important 
than  horoscopes." 


THE    COUNT'S    COMEDY  301 

"I  think  I  have  a  glimmer  of  light  now,"  said  Va- 
leska.    "The  Bay  Mare  is  an  heiress,  isn't  she  ?" 
"Rather !   Old  man  Miller  owns  half  of  Buffalo." 
"And  Shaw  is  on  the  verge  of  failure." 
"And  the  count  wants  a  good  excuse  to  transfer 
his  affections  and  his  hopes  of  a  permanent  income. 
What  better  escape  than  to  impute  insanity  to  Miss 
Ethel  Shaw  ?  I  say  it's  a  merry  scheme." 
Valeska  frowned.  "It's  horribly  cruel !" 
"Well,  it's  infamously  Italian,  if  you  like.    Fancy 
one  of  the  Borgias  reappearing  to  grace  the  twentieth 
century !  But  you  can't  deny  it  is  cleverly  worked  out. 
Insanity  is  one  of  the  best  reasons  for  not  marrying, 
even  for  a  fortune-hunting  foreigner.   Every  one  will 
pity  him,  instead  of  blaming  him,  and  he'll  walk  out 
of  the  Shaw  family  into  the  arms  of  the  Millers.    He 
only  wanted  to  be  well  off  with  the  old  love  before  he 
was  on  with  the  new.     But  I'll  forgive  him  anything 
for  the  sake  of  the  automobile  goggles." 

"And  the  Peter  Pan  collar!"  cried  Valeska,  laugh- 
ing.  "Couldn't  you  hear  me  giggling  in  the  closet  ?" 

"The  Landor  jewels,  though!"  said  Astro  thought- 
fully.   "If  it  wasn't  for  them,  one  might  suspect  that 
Miss  Ethel  had  taken  an  overdose  of  headache  pow- 
ders. Acetanilid  does  affect  the  brain,  you  know." 
"The  question  is,  who  played  the  gorilla  ?" 
"Ah,  an  Italian,  I'm  afraid.  If  you'll  pardon  the  pun, 
I  think  that  garlic  puts  us  on  the  scent.    As  I  see  it, 
it's  a  case  where  our  friend  McGraw  can  help  us  out. 
I'll  try  him.    There'll  be  no  particular  credit  in  it  for 
him ;  but,  what's  just  as  good,  there'll  be  money." 

From  an  interview  with  his  friend,  the  police  lieu- 


302        THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

tenant,  that  night  Astro  found  out  that  no  one  had 
been  suspected  of  the  robbery  of  Mrs.  Landor's  jew- 
els strongly  enough  to  warrant  arrest.  Ethel  Shaw  and 
her  fiance  were  both  present  at  the  Landor  reception 
held  on  the  night  when  the  jewels  were  stolen.  A 
charge  of  cleptomania  might,  therefore,  be  reasonably 
preferred  against  her.  As  young  Shaw  had  said,  such 
an  accusation,  coupled  with  her  testimony  as  to  the 
method  by  which  she  obtained  the  jewels,  would  deal 
a  serious  blow  to  the  Shaws'  social  aspirations. 

McGraw  had  too  often  profited  by  Astro's  assistance 
in  puzzling  cases  not  to  do  his  best  to  help  the  palmist ; 
but  nothing  was  known  by  the  police  about  the  count 
or  his  valet.  It  was  found,  however,  that,  on  his  pass- 
age across  the  Atlantic  in  the  Pcnumbria,  Count  D'Am- 
pleri  had  taken  no  servant.  This  of  itself  w.as  of  suffi- 
cient importance  for  Astro  to  request  McGraw  to  look 
up  the  man  and  furnish  a  description  of  him  and  his 
circumstances.  This,  in  a  few  days,  revealed  the  fact 
that  the  valet  had  a  dubious  reputation,  and  it  was  sus- 
pected that  he  had  been  in  prison.  McGraw  himself 
was  not  sure  at  first;  but  subsequently  a  brother  offi- 
cer familiar  with  the  Italian  quarter  of  New  York 
positively  identified  him  as  Kneesy  Tim,  who  had  done 
time  for  second-story  work,  and  was  so  called  among 
his  pals  on  account  of  his  knock-knees. 

It  did  not  take  the  officer  long  after  that  to  ascertain 
through  the  detective  force  that  Tim  had  attended  the 
Landor  reception  as  Count  D'Ampleri's  valet.  The 
line  of  evidence  was  now  direct.  Tim  had  welded  the 
most  important  link  of  it  himself  by  appearing  as  the 
bearer  of  the  stolen  jewels.  His  boldness  was  ac- 
counted for,  of  course,  by  the  fact  that  he  relied  on 


THE   COUNT'S   COMEDY  303 

his  ludicrous  appearance  to  make  Miss  Shaw's  story 
incredible,  at  the  same  time  preventing  any  identifi- 
cation of  himself.  In  all  this  it  was  impossible  not  to 
suspect  the  count  of  being  an  accessory;  if,  indeed, 
he  did  not  plan  the  whole  thing. 

But  why  had  the  thief  been  willing  to  surrender 
such  valuable  booty?  If  the  count  were  merely  after 
money,  here  was  a  treasure  in  the  hands  of  his  accom- 
plice. The  answer  was  an  easy  one  for  Astro  to  solve 
when  Shaw  produced  the  black  bag  full  of  Mrs.  Lan- 
dor's  heirlooms. 

The  jewels  were  all  false.  Astro's  critical  eyes 
needed  but  one  careful  look  at  them.  They  were  mar- 
velous imitations ;  but  of  no  possible  use  to  any  one 
except  the  owner  who  would  never  be  suspected  of 
having  hypothecated  her  celebrated  gems.  It  was  evi- 
dent now  why  Mrs.  Landor — the  respectable,  aristo- 
cratic Mrs.  Lemuel  Landor,  of  the  Landor  jewels — 
had  never  offered  a  reward  for  their  capture.  Astro, 
cynical  as  he  was,  familiar  as  he  was  with  the  many 
hypocrisies  of  the  upper  ten  of  the  town,  could  not 
help  laughing  when  he  held  the  famous  Landor  tiara 
up  to  Valeska's  envious  view. 

"I'll  never  believe  in  anybody  or  anything  again!" 
she  exclaimed.  "Did  you  tell  Mr.  Shaw  ?" 

"Not  after  his  remarks  on  my  profession,"  said  As- 
tro, with  a  decided  shake  of  his  head.  "That's  the 
time  he  did  himself  out  of  a  hearty  laugh  at  Mrs.  Lan- 
dor's  expense.  In  any  case,  I  don't  believe  in  ever 
telling  any  more  than  is  necessary." 

"The  count  is  an  ordinary  crook,  then?" 

"I  doubt  that.  Nor  is  he  even  an  ordinary  count. 
He's  a  clever  bourgeois  Frenchman.  I  have  talked 


304        THE    MASTER    OF    MYSTERIES 

with  him  and  know.  I  imagine  that  he  picked  up  this 
fellow  Tim  to  help  him  play  the  part,  and  found  out 
afterward  what  he  was  and  used  him.  But  that  doesn't 
matter.  We  have  them  now  on  the  hip." 

"And  how  are  you  going  to  fix  him  ?  From  what  I 
hear,  he  is  more  attentive  than  ever  to  the  Bay  Mare, 
and  people  are  talking  about  it." 

"That  doesn't  matter.  If  Miss  Ethel  can  get  rid  of 
him  without  his  telling  that  ridiculous  story,  she'll 
undoubtedly  call  it  good  riddance  to  bad  rubbish.  And 
I  will  fix  that." 

"How?" 

"My  dear,  if  you'll  walk  up  and  down  on  Eighth 
Avenue,  between  Thirty-seventh  and  Thirty-eighth 
Streets,  from  twelve  till  half  past  to-morrow  night, 
you'll  see.  And,"  he  continued,  smiling  to  himself,  "I 
think  it  will  be  worth  your  attendance.  I  think  we 
might  ask  Shaw  to  escort  you,  if  he's  willing  to  dis- 
guise himself  a  little,  enough  so  that  the  count  won't 
recognize  him." 

"I  shall  be  there,"  said  Valeska. 

"I  promise  a  comedy,"  said  Astro.  "By  the  by,  it 
may  interest  you  to  know  that  I  have  rented  a  room 
at  number  573  Eighth  Avenue." 

"Indeed !"  said  Valeska,  raising  her  brows.  "I  im- 
agine from  your  tone  that  I'm  not  to  ask  you  any  ques- 
tions; but  I  would  like  to  know  if  you  are  through 
with  McGraw?" 

"No,  indeed.  McGraw  is  to  figure  as  the  deus  ex 
machina;  also  he  is  to  earn  two  thousand  dollars.  One 
he  will  collect  from  me,  and  one  from  Mrs.  Landor, 
who  will  be  very  glad  to  pay,  I  imagine,  if  he 
acts  strictly  in  a  private  capacity.  In  other  words,  it  is 


THE   COUNT'S   COMEDY  305 

not  particularly  to  Mrs.  Landor's  interest  for  the  pub- 
lic to  know  that  she  has  sold  her  jewels  and  wears 
paste." 

"I  begin  dimly  to  comprehend  now,"  Valeska  mused. 
"You  will  emulate  the  Mikado  of  Japan,  and  'let  the 
punishment  fit  the  crime'  ?" 

Astro  replied,  "My  dear,  in  the  mutual  interaction 
of  telepathic  vibrations,  one  neutralizes  the  other. 
Two  loud  sounds  can  be  made  to  produce  a  silence. 
Selah.  'Tar a  ak  khaldah  maha  tara.  Abracadabra, 
maha  tara' " 

"Boom-de-ay !"  Valeska  added  gaily. 

"Precisely.  And,  speaking  of  nonsense,  I  didn't  ask 
you  to  get  me  a  pair  of  white  duck  trousers  and  a  yel- 
low-striped blazer  and  an  old  woman's  wig  and  a  green 
umbrella  and  a  white  top  hat,  did  I?"  He  looked 
thoughtfully  at  his  finger  nails. 

"No,  you  didn't,"  she  replied  briskly ;  "nor  a  bottle 
of  soothing  syrup  nor  a  tombstone." 

"Nevertheless,  you  will  do  this  to-morrow  morning, 
and  have  them  sent  to  number  573  Eighth  Avenue." 

"I  agree,  if  you'll  only  let  me  add  some  rubber 
boots." 

"Well,  as  a  special  favor,  yes.  Now  run  along  and 
I'll  get  to  work.  Oh,  Tim  was  arrested  to-day,  on  sus- 
picion of  having  stolen  the  Landor  jewels.  Too  bad, 
isn't  it?" 

He  sat  down,  thereupon,  to  write  a  letter  as  follows : 

"Commesso  sbaglio  gravissimo.  Lei  e  in  un 
gran  pericolo.  Venga  a  trovarmi  martedi  a  mez~ 
zanotte  sulla  porta  del  no.  573  Eighth  Avenue. 
Venga  solo.  T." 


306       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 
"  > 

He  showed  it  to  Valeska  and  translated : 

"Terrible  mistake  made.  You  are  in  great  dan- 
ger. Meet  me  Tuesday  at  midnight  in  the  door- 
way of  number  573  Eighth  Avenue.  Come 
alone.  T." 

Roughly  scrawled  on  brown  paper,  and  put  into  a 
plain  but  dirty  envelope,  the  note  was  convincing. 
Tim,  at  any  rate,  would  not  be  able  to  deny  it  for  some 
time.  It  was  not  a  message  that  the  Count  D'Ampleri 
would  dare  ignore. 

The  Count  D'Ampleri  did  not  ignore  it.  Smart  and 
aristocratic  in  appearance,  though  foreign-looking  with 
his  Parisian  silk  hat,  his  queer  trousers,  and  his  waxed 
and  pointed  mustache,  he  was  prompt  at  the  rendez- 
vous. Valeska  and  John  Wallington  Shaw,  drifting 
slowly  down  the  block,  noticed  him  there  waiting  in  the 
dusky  doorway,  looking  impatiently  up  and  down, 
smoking  a  cigarette.  The  count  seemed  to  be  a  bit  un- 
easy. He  lighted  one  cigarette  after  another. 

The  two  spectators  passed  again,  talking  absorb- 
edly  one  to  the  other,  but  watching  guardedly  as  they 
passed.  At  the  Thirty-seventh  Street  corner  they  no- 
ticed a  man  standing,  his  back  against  a  lamp-post.  A 
child  would  have  known  him  to  be  a  policeman  in  plain 
clothes.  His  burly  figure,  his  bull  neck,  the  very  cut 
of  his  mustache,  proved  it  indubitably.  He  gave  them 
a  wink  as  they  passed  him.  They  crossed  to  the  other 
side  of  the  avenue  and  walked  slowly.  As  they  reached 
the  far  end  of  the  block  they  suddenly  stopped.  Va- 
leska began  to  giggle,  pointed,  and  excitedly  watched 
the  scene  across  the  street.  Shaw  seized  her  arm  and 


THE    COUNT'S    COMEDY  307 

hurried  her  over  the  crossing  and  to  the  front  of  the 
doorway.  The  little  drama  was  almost  over.  As  they 
stopped,  staring,  a  fantastic  figure  retreated,  entered 
the  door,  and  banged  it  behind  him. 

They  were  laughing  at  the  count's  discomfiture  as 
McGraw  came  up.  He  took  his  cue  like  an  actor,  and 
walking  up  to  the  count  grabbed  him  fiercely  by  the 
arm. 

"Now  then,"  he  said  harshly,  "what  you  a-doin' 
here?  What's  that  you  got  there?"  He  pointed  to  a 
black  bag  the  Italian  still  held  in  his  hand. 

"Who  are  you,  anyway?"  said  the  count  angrily. 
"Vat  beesness  of  yours?  Tell  me  that!" 

"I'll  show  you!"  and  McGraw  threw  back  his  coat 
and  displayed  his  badge.  "See  here  now !  What  have 
you  got  in  that  bag  at  this  time  of  night,  hangin'  round 
in  this  doorway?" 

"My  God!  I  don't  know  myself!"  the  count  ex- 
claimed. 

"I'll  see,  then,"  said  McGraw,  and  snatching  it  from 
him  he  opened  the  bag  and  drew  out  a  diamond  tiara. 

"You  don't  know !"  he  thundered.  "We'll  see  about 
that  at  the  station-house !  Come  along  with  me !" 

The  count,  seeing  the  jewels,  seemed  almost  ready 
to  faint  with  surprise  and  horror.  "But  I  am  very  in- 
nocent !"  he  wailed.  "I  am  ze  Count  D'Ampleri.  I  live 
at  ze  Saint  Regis!  You  shall  see!  Before  heaven!  I 
never  knew  that  things  was  there !  It  was  give  me  just 
now,  by — by — "  He  paused,  discomfited. 

"Well,  by  whom  ?"  was  McGraw's  inquiry. 

"You  will  not  believe — nobody  won't  believe — it  ees 
too  much!  A  mad  woman  she  give  me  zis  bag  just 
now  zis  minute!" 


308        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"What  kind  of  a  woman?  Out  with  it!" 

"Oh!  what  shall  I  say?  You  will  not  believe.  A 
woman  like  a  man,  with  white  pantaloon,  with  a  top- 
per hat,  a  yellow  jacquette  with  stripes  like  zis."  He 
made  a  pitiful  gesture  down  the  front  of  his  coat. 

"Aw,  g'wan !"  said  McGraw.  "D'you  expect  me  to 
believe  a  pipe  dream  like  that?  That's  the  worst  I 
ever  heard,  and  I've  heard  some  thin  ones,  too !" 

"But  I  tell  ze  truth,  I  swear  it!  She  have  a  green 
ombrelle." 

"Any  more  ?  Go  as  far  as  you  like."  McGraw's  tone 
was  affable. 

"She  wear  big  boots  of  la  gomme, — what  you  call  it 
• — rubbaire." 

McGraw  towered  above  him  now,  and  calmly  folded 
his  arms.  "No  blue  whiskers,  or  purple  hat  pins  stuck 
in  her  face,  was  they  ?  She  wasn't  chewin'  shavin's  or 
had  red  fire  on  her  hands,  I  suppose?  Lord,  man! 
you  got  no  imagination  at  all!  Why,  I  can  dream 
out  things  that  would  make  that  old  lady  seem  like  a 
fashion-plate.  When  I  dope  'em  out  they  generally 
wears  armor  plate  and  glass  gloves  at  least.  But  I  guess 
that'll  be  about  all  for  you.  I'm  going  to  run  you  in." 

The  count  in  despair  appealed  to  Valeska.  "But  ze 
lady  and  ze  gentleman,  she  see  ze  old  woman!  Ask 
them  !  I  am  spik  ze  truth  to  you !" 

Valeska,  smothering  her  laughter,  did  her  best  to 
speak  calmly.  "We  saw  nothing  at  all,  officer.  The 
man  must  be  intoxicated." 

"Or  crazy,"  Shaw  put  in  wickedly. 

"You  see  nozzing?"  the  count  ejaculated  in  amaze- 
ment. Then  he  dropped  in  a  dejected  huddle,  nodding 
his  head  sillily. 


THE   COUNT'S    COMEDY  309 

McGraw  motioned  to  Valeska,  and  nodded  toward 
Thirty-seventh  Street. 

"Well,  111  have  to  go,"  she  said,  smiling.  "You'd 
better  be  careful,  officer ;  he  may  be  dangerous."  And 
so  saying  she  walked  away  with  Shaw,  who  was  too 
nearly  hysterical  with  mirth  to  speak  for  a  while. 
When  he  did,  it  was  to  say : 

"Will  you  kindly  inform  Astro  when  you  see  him 
that  I  take  back  what  I  said  about  horoscopes  and  oc- 
cultism? I  am  quite  sure  he  will  understand." 


She  repeated  the  message  next  day,  when  she  and 
Astro  found  themselves  alone  in  the  studio.  Astro 
smiled.  "If  they  were  all  like  John  Wallington  Shaw," 
he  said,  "you  and  I  wouldn't  make  much  of  a  living, 
little  girl."  Then  he  added  irrelevantly,  "I  understand 
that  the  Count  D'Ampleri  is  to  sail  on  the  Germanic 
next  week." 

"Oh.  Then  McGraw  let  him  off?" 

"All  McGraw  wanted  was  to  get  his  thousand  out 
of  Mrs.  Landor,  and  the  less  talk  about  it  the  better. 
He  telephoned  me  this  morning  to  say  that  she  gave 
him  a  very  lively  half-hour,  but  paid.  By  the  way,  I 
wonder  if  Shaw  told  his  sister  Ethel  how  the  matter 
was  solved?" 

"He  said  he  intended  to,  before  he  went  to  bed." 

"Then  we  may  consider  the  episode  closed."  Astro 
took  down  a  volume  of  Imrnanuel  Kant.  Before  he 
began  his  reading  he  remarked  dasually,  "It  was  a  nar- 
row escape  for  all  three.  I  don't  know  exactly  which 
one  to  congratulate  the  most." 

"I'd  congratulate  the  old  lady  with  the  white  duck 


310       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

trousers  and  the  blazer,"  said  Valeska.    "I  think  she 
had  the  merriest  time  of  all." 

"Yes,"  said  Astro,  his  eyes  twinkling,  "I  think  so 
myself!" 


PRISCILLA'S  PRESENTS 

THE  winter  afternoon  had  wrapped  itself  in  dark- 
ness before  Astro  spoke.  He  had  bent  for  twenty 
minutes  over  the  chess-board,  vividly  illumined  by  an 
overhead  electric  lamp,  while  Valeska's  keen  eyes 
watched  him  attentively.  Outside,  the  clanging  of 
bells  and  the  rattle  of  cars  had  grown  gradually 
fainter  as  the  falling  snow  spread  a  blanket  over  the 
pavements.  Within  the  palmist's  studio  the  two  were 
surrounded  by  shadowy  objects  enlivened  with  twink- 
ling lights  caught  on  the  polished  points  or  planes  of 
embroidered  patterns  or  ornaments. 

Suddenly  Astro  rose  and  switched  on  a  blaze  of  light. 
The  whole  picturesque  splendor  of  the  apartment 
blazed  in  color,  from  the  heavy  tones  of  the  oriental 
rugs  to  the  gilded  coffered  ceiling.  The  walls,  half 
lined  with  books,  surrounded  the  luxurious  furnish- 
ings of  the  studio,  which  in  their  elegance  and  rarity 
gave  the  place  almost  the  air  of  a  museum. 

"Mate  in  seven  moves !"  he  announced. 

His  pretty  assistant  wrinkled  her  brows  in  the  at- 
tempt to  analyze  the  game.  For  weeks  she  had  been 
studying  with  him  the  mysteries  and  complications  of 
the  Muzio  gambit,  and,  though  she  was  well  along  with 
the  strategics  of  the  play,  Astro's  extraordinary  im- 
agination made  him  mentally  able  to  keep  many  moves 


312       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

ahead  of  her.  She  sighed  whimsically  and  looked  up 
at  him.  He  put  his  finger  on  a  black  ivory  piece  as  he 
spoke  with  a  droll  look  in  his  eyes. 

"It  all  came  because  of  your  absurd  fondness  for  the 
knight!" 

"I  admit  that  I  am  partial  to  knights,"  she  replied. 
"I'm  always  willing  to  exchange  a  bishop  for  one." 

"I  wonder  why  ?"  Astro  mused.  "No  doubt  because 
the  knight's  move  is  symbolical  of  a  woman's  way  of 
thinking.  She  loves  to  jump  over  things  in  the  logical 
path  of  reasoning :  one  move  ahead  and  one  diagonally 
to  the  right,  one  backward  and  one  obliquely  to  the 
left,  or  anyway  rather  than  along  a  straight  line."  He 
laughed  a  little  cynically. 

"And  do  men  never  think  that  way?"  she  asked  de- 
murely. 

He  put  his  chin  in  his  fist  and  nodded  his  head,  shak- 
ing his  waving  black  hair.  "That's  queer,  too.  They 
do,  sometimes.  There  are  types  that  do,  races  that  do ; 
Orientals,  for  instance." 

"And  aren't  you  oriental  ?"  she  asked. 

He  walked  away  suddenly  and  picked  up  his  little 
white  tame  lizard  from  its  silver  cage.  "Oh,  Egypt  is 
hardly  the  Orient.  Egypt  is — well,  it's  Egypt,  the 
eternal  mystery." 

He  turned  quickly  to  her.  "I  never  believed  you 
were  Irish,"  he  said.  "I  wonder  what  you  are?" 

"Pure  troll !"  she  said  nimbly. 

"I  have  solved  many  mysteries,"  Astro  replied,  and 
now  his  voice  was  softer ;  "but  you  are  the  most  myste- 
rious of  all.  Somehow,  I  hate  to  know  too  much  about 
you.  Well,  let's  call  you  a  troll."  He  picked  up  the 
mouthpiece  of  his  narghile. 


PRISCILLA'S   PRESENTS  313 

A  bell  tinkled.  Valeska,  after  a  glance  at  the  Master 
of  Mysteries,  pressed  a  button  on  the  wall.  In  a  mo- 
ment a  boy  in  buttons  entered,  carrying  a  salver,  on 
which  were  letters.  Astro  took  them  up  and  spread 
them  on  the  table  under  the  lamp.  Valeska  looked 
playfully  over  his  shoulder.  Then,  with  a  queer  ex- 
pression on  her  face,  she  seated  herself. 

"All  from  women !"  she  commented.    "I  wish — " 

"What?"  The  Seer  wheeled  in  his  chair. 

"Never  mind."    Valeska  took  up  a  book. 

Astro  rapidly  opened  the  envelopes  and  cast  them 
aside  one  by  one.  The  last,  a  letter  on  heavy  blue 
paper,  he  read  a  second  time  and  tossed  it  over  to 
Valeska. 

"Read  it  aloud,"  he  said.    "I  want  to  think." 

Valeska  read  as  follows : 

"MY  DEAR  ASTRO — You  will  remember,  perhaps, 
having  read  my  hand  some  months  ago,  and  hav- 
ing told  me  some  most  wonderful  things  about 
myself.  It  was  all  so  marvelous  to  me  that  I 
though  you  might  be  able  to  help  me  in  a  funny 
thing  that  has  been  happening  for  the  last  five 
weeks  or  so.  Of  course,  I  apply  to  you  in  strict 
confidence,  and  I  hope  you  will  understand." 

"Oh,  cut  all  that  part  out,"  Astro  interrupted,  "and 
all  her  feminine  circumlocutions !  Get  to  the  business !" 

"Well,  then,  five  weeks  ago  last  Saturday  I  re- 
ceived a  mysterious  present  of  a  pair  of  beautiful 
slippers.  I  had  no  idea  where  it  came  from;  but 
supposed  it  was  from  a  Mr.  Thompson,  who  had 
been  rather  attentive  to  me.  But  he  denied  it. 
The  next  Saturday  I  got  another  parcel,  by  mail, 
containing  a  lovely  bound  leather  album,  beauti- 


3H       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

fully  tooled.  Then  I  suspected  a  Mr.  Gerrish; 
but  he  has  denied  sending  either.  Since  then, 
every  Saturday  I  have  received  a  parcel  by  mail, 
every  time  a  different  thing,  and  I'm  simply  wild 
to  know  who  is  sending  these  things.  If  you  think 
you  can  find  out  for  me,  I'll  be  glad  to  pay  you 
whatever  fee  you  charge,  as  I  can't  stand  it  not  to 
know  any  longer.  If  you'll  make  an  appointment, 
I'll  come  and  see  you  any  time. 

"Yours  sincerely, 

"PRISCILLA  QUARICH." 

"Isn't  it  lovely?"  Valeska  exclaimed.  "It's  a  wel- 
come relief  from  the  murders  and  robberies  and  things. 
I'm  glad  that  there  are  some  benevolent  criminals." 

"Slippers — album — "  the  Seer  mused.  "Too  bad  she 
didn't  mention  the  other  gifts." 

"Why  ?  Do  you  think  it's  so  very  mysterious  ?  It's 
romantic,  of  course ;  but — " 

"Five  Saturdays  in  succession — "  Astro  went  on 
thoughtfully. 

"Slippers  are  a  funny  present,"  said  Valeska.  "You 
have  to  know  the  exact  size,  of  course." 

"Thompson — Gerrish — "  Astro  rose.  "This  should 
be  your  field,  Valeska,"  he  said,  smiling.  "My  spe- 
cialty is  the  intricacy  of  the  human  brain.  You  ought 
to  know  about  the  human  heart.  Of  course  it's  a  love- 
affair." 

"And  of  course  you  know  nothing  of  love,"  she 
added. 

He  tossed  the  black  locks  from  his  brow  and  gazed 
at  her  thoughtfully.  "No — of  course  not."  His  voice 
was  low ;  he  did  not  look  at  her. 

Then  he  threw  off  his  mood.  "Write  her  in  answer, 
Valeska,  to  this  effect:  In  order  to  settle  this  rather 


PRISCILLA'S   PRESENTS  315 

delicate  question  for  her,  I  shall  have  to  meet  the  two 
men.  Suggest  that  she  invite  me  to  dinner  and  have 
them  there.  You'll  be  invited,  of  course.  Suppose  we 
make  it  next  Friday.  Also,  ask  her  to  send  me  a  com- 
plete list  of  the  gifts  she  has  received  to  date,  in  chrono- 
logical order." 


The  next  day  a  letter  came  from  Miss  Quarich  in 
reply  to  Valeska's  note.  She  said  that,  as  her  butler 
was  usually  away  on  Fridays,  she  would  prefer  to  have 
the  dinner  on  Thursday.  "And,"  she  added,  "do, 
please,  bring  that  pretty  Miss  Wynne,  if  she  will  par- 
don my  informality  in  not  calling  myself  to  invite  her. 
But  I'm  so  busy — "  etc. 

On  Thursday  evening,  therefore,  Astro's  green  car 
bore  the  two  to  Miss  Quarich's  residence  on  upper 
Madison  Avenue.  They  were  admitted  by  the  smil- 
ing Japanese  butler,  and,  entering  the  drawing-room, 
found  the  two  men  of  the  party  already  waiting. 

Thompson,  the  elder  of  the  two,  was  a  typical  man 
about  town,  bullet-headed,  red-faced,  with  cropped  red 
mustache,  and  of  a  jovial  magnetic  temperament.  Care 
had  scarcely  rubbed  elbows  with  Tom  Thompson,  and 
he  was  full  of  the  gossip  of  the  day,  cordial,  hearty, 
and  evidently  innocuous.  Gerrish  was  more  suave, 
with  a  clever  head,  egg-shaped,  smooth  shaved,  with  a 
sensitive  mouth  and  smiling  eyes. 

A  moment  after,  Miss  Quarich  appeared,  attired  in 
the  most  modern  of  empire  gowns,  revealing  her  slim 
lithe  figure  and  beautiful  neck.  She  was  young  and 
merry,  with  dark  eyes  full  of  coquetry.  She  welcomed 
Valeska  with  a  little  patronizing  snuggle,  and  held 


3i6       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

out  her  hand  to  Astro,  who  bent  over  it  and  kissed  it 
gracefully.  Then  their  eyes  met,  and  Miss  Quarich 
blushed.  It  became  her  charmingly.  Valeska,  mean- 
while, had  turned  to  the  men,  and  her  eyes  and  wits 
were  busy.  Sam,  the  Japanese  butler,  came  in  with 
cocktails  on  a  tray.  Neither  of  the  women  indulged ; 
but  the  men  drank  their  healths,  each  with  a  character- 
istic compliment.  Then  they  went  into  the  dining- 
room. 

As  Sam,  with  the  crisp,  impersonal,  quiet  dignity  of 
his  race,  passed  from  one  guest  to  another  serving, 
both  Astro  and  Valeska  watched  the  company  sharply. 
The  Seer  showed  himself  not  only  au  fait,  but  distin- 
guished, as  always  when  he  accepted  such  social  invita- 
tions. 

Once  or  twice,  during  the  meal,  Astro's  eyes  sought 
Valeska's,  with  a  questioning  expression.  The  faintest 
possible  shake  of  the  head  was  his  only  answer.  The 
two  men  divided  their  attention  between  Miss  Quarich 
and  Valeska  Wynne  with  discretion  and  tact.  The  talk 
ran  on  in  social  commonplaces,  of  the  theaters,  of  the 
newspaper  topics  of  the  day,  of  sporting  events.  That 
Astro  was  anything  more  than  the  merest  society  but- 
terfly, the  favorite  of  the  moment,  no  one  would  have 
suspected.  Yet  again  and  again  he  shot  his  shrewd 
look  across  the  table  at  his  assistant,  and  his  glance  in 
their  secret  language  pointed  her  attention  to  many 
things. 

After  the  sweets,  the  women  retired  up-stairs  to 
Miss  Quarich's  private  sitting-room  for  their  coffee 
and  a  few  moments  of  relaxation. 

"Well?"  said  Miss  Quarich,  passing  her  golden 
cigarette  case  to  Valeska. 


PRISCILLA'S    PRESENTS  317 

"They're  both  immensely  interested  in  you,  it  seems 
to  me." 

Miss  Quarich's  brows  rose.  "My  dear,"  she  said, 
"it  struck  me  that  you  came  in  for  some  notice  also." 

Valeska  smiled.  "But  I  don't  expect  to  receive  a 
present  from  either  of  them  on  Saturday,  however." 

Miss  Quarich  sat  up  with  animation.  "It's  great 
fun,  of  course,"  she  said ;  "but  it's  tantalizing.  I  would 
never  suspect  either  of  them  of  being  romantic.  Of 
course  I've  had  loads  of  flowers  and  books  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing  from  men,  and  both  these  men  have  been, 
as  you  say,  interested — and  attentive.  In  fact,  each  of 
them  has  come  dangerously  near  to — a  refusal."  She 
laughed  merrily. 

"Do  you  recall  having  mentioned  the  size  of  your 
shoe  to  either  of  them  ?" 

"Not  at  all ;  though  either  might  have  found  out,  if 
he  tried  hard  enough." 

"And  about  the  album?" 

"Oh,  I  recall  having  mentioned  one  I  saw,  one  night 
at  dinner  when  they  were  both  there.  I  must  show  it 
to  you."  She  rang  a  bell  at  her  side,  and  shortly  a 
maid  appeared.  "Stebbins,  will  you  bring  that  album 
on  the  table  in  my  room,  please  ?" 

When  it  came,  Valeska  examined  it  interestedly.  It 
was  made  in  imitation  of  the  Renaissance  volumes  that 
are  still  decorated  and  sold  in  Sienna.  The  board  covers 
were  gilded  and  painted  with  quaint  pictures  of  knights 
and  castles,  and  were  bound  with  leather  thongs,  fas- 
tened with  silver-headed  nails.  Inside  were  pages  of 
tooled  leather,  with  apertures  for  photographs.  The 
slippers  were  also  brought,  of  golden  and  blue  embroi- 
dery of  a  quaint  design.  But,  despite  her  close  scru- 


3i8       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

tiny,  Valeska  could  find  no  distinguishing  mark  to  hint 
at  the  place  of  their  manufacture. 

Miss  Quarich  handed  them  back  finally  to  her  maid. 
"Wrap  them  up  neatly  with  the  other  things  on  my  ta- 
ble, and  give  the  parcel  to  Samugi.  Tell  him  to  give 
them  to  Monsieur  Astro  when  he  leaves  the  house. 
Now,  my  dear,"  Miss  Quarich  said,  turning  to  pour 
out  a  cordial,  "we  must  hurry  down-stairs.  We  have 
been  here  long  enough.  I  want  to  hear  Astro  read 
the  hands  of  the  two  men.  It  ought  to  be  fun.  Oh, 
here's  the  list  of  presents  up  to  date.  You  can  give 
him  that  yourself." 


Astro  and  Valeska  left  the  house  early  and  drove 
directly  to  the  studio.  She  was  animated  with  interest. 
The  mystery  was  pretty  enough  to  excite  her  feminine 
enthusiasm.  Astro  laughed  at  her  but  refused  to  dis- 
cuss it  till  she  had  entered  the  studio  and  opened  the 
paper  Miss  Quarich  had  given  her,  and  displayed  the 
whole  collection  of  presents.  The  list  was  as  follows : 

November  seventh,  pair  of  slippers ;  November  four- 
teenth, album ;  November  twenty-first,  volume  of  Mon- 
taigne; November  twenty-eighth,  umbrella;  December 
fifth,  six  pairs  of  gloves. 

Astro  first  handled  the  objects  taken  from  the  parcel, 
and  then  looked  over  the  list.  For  ten  minutes  he  said 
nothing,  walking  up  and  down  the  dim  apartment  in 
silence.  For  a  few  moments  he  stood  by  the  window, 
staring  out,  thinking.  Then,  with  a  smile  illuminating 
his  countenance,  he  returned  to  the  table,  glanced  again 
at  the  list  of  gifts,  and  chuckled. 

"To-day  is  Thursday,"  he  remarked.  "The  day  after 


PRISCILLA'S    PRESENTS  319 

to-morrow,  Miss  Quarich  will  receive — can  you  guess 
what?" 

"Of  course  I  can't!"  said  Valeska.    "What?" 

He  dropped  his  chin  into  his  fist.  "Well,  she  will 
receive  a  present  of  an  inkstand;  probably  of  cut 
glass." 

"Really?"    Valeska  stared  at  him  in  amazement. 

"Yes,  unless  he  sends  another  book,  which  I  think 
unlikely." 

"He?    Who?" 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  you  don't  know?" 

"How  can  I?  Why  how  can  you,  either?  You 
haven't  even  examined  the  presents.  There's  that  vol- 
ume of  Montaigne's  Essays.  It  would  be  like  Mr.  Ger- 
rish  to  send  that ;  but  more  like  Mr.  Thompson  to  send 
the  gloves.  I'm  all  at  sea." 

Astro  patted  her  familiarly  on  the  shoulder.  "After 
all  my  lessons?"  he  complained  humorously.  "Never 
mind,  think  it  over.  And  look  over  that  list  again  to- 
morrow, when  you're  rested." 


The  next  day,  however,  brought  no  hint  to  Valeska, 
who,  in  the  intervals  of  her  work,  examined  the  arti- 
cles one  by  one,  and  pored  over  the  list  of  presents. 
On  Saturday,  Miss  Quarich  rang  up  the  studio.  Va- 
leska, in  high  excitement,  listened,  and  then  stared  at 
Astro  with  a  baffled  expression. 

"Miss  Quarich  received  this  morning  a  parcel  con- 
taining a  cut-glass  ink-well !" 

Astro  laughed  silently,  and  nodded. 

For  some  time  Valeska  stood  gazing  at  him  with  a 
blank  look  on  her  face.  Then,  without  a  word  she 


320       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

went  to  the  table,  took  up  the  list  of  gifts,  and,  as  if 
mesmerized  by  Astro's  unspoken  thought,  sat  down, 
took  a  pencil  and  began  to  write : 

Slippers 

Album 

Montaigne 

Umbrella 

Gloves 

Inkstand 

"What  is  that  Japanese  butler's  name?"  she  de- 
manded. 

"Why,  Sam,  isn't  it?" 

"You  know  it  isn't.  It's  Samugi.  But  how  did  you 
know?  I  only  happened  to  hear  Miss  Quarich  men- 
tion it." 

"Well,  I  inquired.  I  often  ask  questions.  So  you've 
solved  the  acrostic?" 

"Yes,  the  initials  read  'Samugi,'  of  course.  But  what 
does  it  mean  ?" 

Astro  yawned.  "It  is  difficult  to  interpret  the  ori- 
ental mind;  almost  as  difficult  as  to  understand  femi- 
nine psychology.  What  did  I  tell  you  the  other  day? 
It's  a  mental  knight's  move,  an  indirect  message.  We'll 
have  to  wait." 

"But  fancy  that  Jap  having  the  nerve  to  take  such 
liberties  with  Miss  Quarich !" 

"That  Japanese  is,  as  I  have  succeeded  in  finding  out 
at  the  consulate,  more  than  Miss  Quarich's  social 
equal." 

"But  he's  only  a  servant !" 

"In  New  York,  yes.    In  Tokio,  he's  a  noble  of  an 


PRISCILLA'S    PRESENTS  321 

old  Samurai  family.  His  father  is  an  army  officer  on 
General  Oku's  staff.  So  may  Samugi  be,  for  that 
matter." 

"Then  why  is  he  taking  a  servile  position  here  ?" 

"Oh,  that  is  done  very  often.  Who  knows  the  rea- 
son ?  Not  I,  nor  do  I  care.  Perhaps  he's  an  army  spy, 
perhaps  he's  writing  a  sociological  book  on  the  Ameri- 
can millionaires,  perhaps  he  is  sent  by  his  government 
for  private  reasons.  But  most  likely  of  all  he  is  sim- 
ply desperately  in  love  with  Miss  Priscilla  Quarich,  and 
has  taken  this  devious  oriental  method  of  pressing  a 
hopeless  suit." 

"Hopeless  ?"    Valeska's  eyes  snapped. 

"Of  course.  The  question  now  is,  what  are  we  to 
do  about  it  ?  If  Miss  Quarich  finds  out,  she,  of  course, 
will  have  him  immediately  discharged.  The  only  thing 
is  to  wait  till  we  get  his  message  definitely." 

Valeska  tossed  her  head  and  walked  away.  "So  you 
consider  yourself  an  expert  in  the  human  heart,  do 
you  ?"  she  asked  jauntily,  as  she  put  on  her  furs. 

"I  confess  I  don't  know  much  about  yours,"  was  his 
retort ;  and  then,  as  he  watched  her  out  of  the  door  he 
added  slowly,  "I  wish  to  Heaven  I  did !" 

Three  weeks  elapsed,  Miss  Quarich  having  been  put 
off  from  day  to  day  on  one  excuse  or  another.  But 
each  Saturday  a  new  gift  had  been  received.  On  De- 
cember twelfth  it  had  been  an  exquisite  inlaid  mother- 
of-pearl  lorgnette.  On  the  nineteenth  she  had  received 
a  magnificently-set  opal,  and  the  next  week  a  huge  box 
of  violets  arrived,  fresh  and  fragrant  from  Morley's. 
The  tenor  of  the  message  was  now  growing  evident. 
According  to  the  presents  so  far  received,  it  read, 


322        THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Samugi  lov,"  and  it  needed  little  shrewdness  to  con- 
struct from  that  the  probable  declaration:  "Samugi 
loves  you." 

The  elegance  and  costliness  of  the  gifts  had  already 
confirmed  Astro's  opinion  of  Samugi's  condition. 
It  was  evident  that  he  had  not  only  birth  and  social 
position  at  home,  but  wealth  as  well.  He  had  been 
shrewd  enough  to  send  nothing  edible,  such  as  confec- 
tionery, which  might  immediately  arouse  distrust.  His 
tact  was,  indeed,  most  delicate.  Should  Priscilla  Quar- 
ich  disdain  his  advances,  she  need  only  pretend  not  to 
understand  the  acrostic.  He  was  wise  enough  not  to 
want  to  subject  her  to  the  embarrassment  of  refusing 
an  overt  offer,  in  case  she  should  be  prejudiced  against 
the  Orient.  He  actually  did,  it  seemed,  wish  to  be 
loved  for  himself  alone,  as  the  song  has  it,  with  no  aid 
from  his  possession  of  noble  birth. 

It  became,  therefore,  a  delicate  question  as  to  how 
and  when  Miss  Quarich  should  be  informed  of  the  so- 
lution of  her  problem.  As  she  did  not  press  for  it, 
however,  Astro  let  the  matter  wait  a  while,  hoping  to 
receive  word  from  her  of  the  gifts  that  might  come. 
No  letter  came,  however,  and  he  expressed  surprise  to 
Valeska. 

"I'm  not  at  all  surprised,"  she  remarked. 

"Please  write  to  her  for  an  account  of  what  she  has 
received  since  the  violets  came,  and  in  what  order,"  he 
said. 

This  Valeska  did,  and,  in  a  few  days,  received  the 
following  answer : 

"My  DEAR  ASTRO — I  had  almost  forgotten  that 
I  had  asked  you  to  unravel  my  little  mystery,  and 
I'm  afraid  now  that  it  is  hardly  worth  your  while 


PRISCILLA'S   PRESENTS  323 

spending  much  time  on  it.  As  you  ask,  however, 
I'll  tell  you  that  I  have  received,  since  I  telephoned 
about  the  violets,  a  copy  of  Undine,  an  emerald,  a 
pair  of  opera-glasses,  and  some  other  things. 
Please  don't  bother  about  it.  It  really  doesn't 
matter  much.  Yours  sincerely, 

"PRISCILLA  QUARICH." 

Astro  whistled.  "I  confess  I  don't  know  what  to 
make  of  that,"  he  exclaimed ;  "but  at  least  it  confirms 
my  original  prophecy.  She  hasn't  given  us  all  the  let- 
ters, nor  their  correct  order;  but  what  she  does  give 
certainly  fill  in  right.  He  took  a  pencil  and  wrote  a 
line  as  follows : 

"Samugi  lov    .     .     .    ou." 

"But  why  this  sudden  lack  of  interest  in  the  solution 
of  the  problem  ?"  he  demanded.  "Do  you  suppose  that 
she  can  have  puzzled  it  out  for  herself;  that  perhaps 
she's  so  ashamed  of  it  she  doesn't  want  me  to  know 
the  truth?" 

Valeska  burst  out  into  a  laugh.  "I  saw  Miss  Quar- 
ich  in  a  cab  driving  up  Lexington  Avenue  this  after- 
noon," she  said ;  and  added  slyly,  "with  a  man." 

"Thompson,  or  Gerrish?"  said  Astro. 

"It  is  Friday,  isn't  it?"  she  inquired  demurely. 

Astro  sprang  up.  "By  Jove!  Samugi's  day  off! 
You  don't  mean  to  say  she  was  with  Samugi  ?" 

"In  a  top  hat,"  Valeska  added  with  mirth ;  "which 
shows  all  you  know  about  the  human  heart.  I  thought 
she  looked  at  him  rather  soulfully  that  first  day  at  the 
dinner.  .  Only,  I  wanted  to  see  what  you  knew  of 
women." 

"Less  and  less,  every  day,"  said  he,  with  a  mock 
mournful  look. 


324        THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

The  next  Monday's  paper  contained  an  account  of 
Miss  Priscilla  Quarich's  elopement  with  her  Japanese 
butler.  Samugi's  history  was  given,  however,  and  it 
was  one  partly  to  reconcile  the  gossips  with  the  scandal 
of  the  affair.  His  noble  family,  his  war  record,  his 
academic  achievements,  all  received  sensational  de- 
scription. Society  exclaimed,  shrugged  its  shoulders, 
and  forgot  the  affair  next  week.  Astro's  bill  was  paid 
with  a  yellow  porcelain  lion  of  an  ancient  dynasty,  one 
of  the  seven  left  in  the  world. 


Valeska's  birthday  came  that  week.  She  was  in  the 
studio  when  an  expressman  entered  with  a  big  basket 
filled  with  parcels  all  addressed  to  her.  She  opened 
them  first  with  glee,  then  with  increasing  anxiety  on 
her  face.  When  the  last  package  had  been  unwrapped 
and  the  papers  carefully  put  away,  she  spent  some  time 
sitting  on  the  floor  gazing  at  the  thirteen  several  gifts. 
If  there  were  tears  in  her  eyes,  Astro  came  too  late  to 
see  them.  He  did  not  enter  the  studio,  in  fact,  until 
after  she  had  arranged  the  presents  into  three  rows,  in 
this  way. 


Astrakhan  furs 
Slippers 
Thimble 
Ruby  ring 
Orchids 

Lorgnette 
Opal  pin 
Violets 
Emerald  brooch 
Sash 

Yeats'  Poems 
Opera-glasses 
Umbrella 

At  the  sound  of  his  step  in  the  outer  hall,  however, 
she  swept  the  gifts  together  in  a  heap  and  jumped  to 
her  feet. 


PRISCILLA'S   PRESENTS  325 

"Well,"  he  said,  as  he  entered,  "I  wish  you  a  happy 
new  year,  my  dear!" 

She  was  still  blushing.  "OH,"  she  said,  "I've  just 
got  so  many  beautiful,  wonderful  presents!  They're 
simply  lovely;  but  I  can't  understand  why  they  were 
all  sent  to  me  at  once."  She  looked  away. 

"And  no  idea  where  they  came  from,  either,  I  sup- 
pose?" 

She  cast  down  her  eyes.  "I  suppose  only  an  Ori- 
ental would  be  so  munificent — and  so  mysterious. 
And  I'm  sure  of  one  thing — that  my  Oriental's  presents 
have  brought  me  even  more  delight  than  hers  did  to 
Priscilla!" 


THE  HEIR  TO  SOOTHOID 

THE  mellow  barytone  of  Astro's  voice  vibrated 
through  the  great  studio  with  a  note  of  profound 
mystery,   as   he   read  aloud   from  Anna   Hempstead 
Branch's  poem,  The  Pilgrim: 

"Touch  me  not,  mother,  who  art  thou, 

To  lay  a  hand  on  me? 

My  soul  was  driven  through  sun  and  moon 
Ere  I  was  come  to  thee !" 

Then  he  dropped  the  book  and  gazed  at  Valeska,  his 
assistant,  for  a  while  thoughtfully.  She  was  sitting  on 
the  floor,  propped  up  by  gorgeous  cushions,  playing 
with  a  huge  piece  of  rock-crystal  cut  in  the  form  of  a 
tetrahedron.  A  shaft  of  light  fell  on  her  lap,  piercing 
the  obscurity  of  the  apartment.  The  crystal  caught 
and  gathered  the  rays,  then  broke  them,  shattering  the 
white  light  into  streaks  of  brilliant  color.  At  the  other 
end  of  the  room  a  spot  of  radiance  appeared  on  the 
ceiling,  splendid  with  the  hues  of  a  rainbow.  She 
looked  up  to  the  Master  as  he  ceased  reading. 

"There's  the  poet's  immemorial  challenge  to  the 
monist,"  he  said,  almost  in  a  reverie.  "It's  a  cry  as  old 
as  the  world,  and,  I  think,  idealistic  as  it  is,  mystic  as 
it  is,  with  as  sure  a  foundation  as  that  of  modern  de- 
terminism. But  this  is  modern,  too.  It  voices  an 

326 


THE   HEIR  TO  SOOTHOffi  327 

idea  that,  though  it  has  long  been  common  to  oriental 
thought,  is  new  to  the  western  civilizations.  What  re- 
lation, after  all,  is  the  son  to  the  father?  See  how 
sublimely  Miss  Branch  herself  answers  that  passionate 
question : 

"If  thou  came  out  of  the  moon  and  star 

I  plucked  thee  forth  by  my  desire. 
I  can  hold  thee  burning  in  my  hand ! 
It  was  my  hand  that  shaped  the  fire !" 

Astro  rose,  and,  as  was  his  custom  when  absorbed 
in  any  subject,  began  to  walk  up  and  down  the  room. 
His  keen  dark  eyes  stared  straight  in  front  of  him 
without  looking  at  the  priceless  decorations  of  the 
studio.  His  hands  were  clasped  behind  his  back  across 
his  red  silken  robe.  His  turban  nodded  as  he  spoke. 
Valeska  watched  him  eagerly.  These  philosophic 
moods,  alternating  with  the  active  eager  phases  of  his 
mind,  when  he  was  pursuing  the  track  of  some  almost 
insoluble  mystery,  fascinated  her.  It  was  at  such  times, 
she  thought,  that  he  betrayed  his  real  self. 

"There's  the  purely  transcendental  side,"  he  said. 
"But  the  materialistic  miracle  is  as  marvelous, — the 
fact  that  protoplasm  is  immortal,  that  characteristics, 
physical  and  mental,  are  handed  down  in  the  infinitesi- 
mal cell  that  persists  from  generation  to  generation  in 
the  id  and  the  biophore.  Tricks  of  speech  and  gesture, 
abnormal  formations  of  the  organs  of  the  body,  tem- 
per, emotion, — all  transmitted  in  that  tiny  primordial 
atom !  What  has  science  done  but  induce  us  to  believe 
the  impossible  ?" 

A  bronze  clock  in  the  anteroom  pealed  out  the  hour 
of  ten,  preceded  by  the  Westminster  chime  of  four 


328        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

staves  of  music.  Valeska  rose,  but  hesitated,  unwilling 
to  interrupt  the  Seer's  soliloquy.  But  he  threw  off  his 
absorbed  mood,  came  back  to  her,  and  smiled. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "one  must  earn  one's  living.  What's 
on  for  to-day?" 

"You  have  an  appointment  with  Colonel  Mixter  at 
ten." 

"Very  well.  When  he  comes,  show  him  in.  I  shall 
now  give  an  imitation  of  an  oriental  adept  of  the  Fifth 
Circle.  Pass  me  the  crystal  ball,  Valeska,  and  touch  off 
that  incense  in  the  Japanese  burner.  Am  I  properly 
sedate  and  scornful?  Bah!  What  rubbish  it  all  is — 
and  how  it  goes  with  the  mob !" 

He  took  his  favorite  position  on  the  couch,  drew  up 
his  narghile,  and  assumed  a  picturesque  attitude.  Va- 
leska left  him  and  took  her  place  in  the  reception-room. 
In  ten  minutes  she  ushered  in  Colonel  Mixter,  bowed, 
and  left  the  two  together,  dropping  the  black  velvet 
portieres  behind  her.  She  did  not,  however,  remain  in 
the  reception-room.  Instead,  she  passed  into  a  room 
connecting  that  with  the  studio,  where  in  a  combina- 
tion of  mirrors  she  could  see  all  that  happened  and 
also  hear  the  talk. 

The  new  client  was  a  military-looking  man  of  some 
fifty  years,  with  iron-gray  hair  and  a  curling  white 
mustache.  He  had  an  active  air,  full  of  strength  and 
character  and  showing  his  habit  of  command.  Scrupu- 
lously dressed,  immaculately  clean,  well  groomed  from 
head  to  heels,  he  was  what  might  have  been  called  both 
handsome  and  distinguished  in  appearance.  His  voice 
was  crisp  and  hearty. 

"May  I  smoke?"  he  asked.  "Dashed  if  I  can  talk 
without  smoking!  I  have  to  treat  my  confounded 


THE   HEIR   TO   SOOTHOID  329 

nerves  like  a  confounded  pack  of  dogs,  confound  it! 
Thanks." 

In  reply,  Astro  had  drawn  up  his  water-pipe  and  in- 
haled a  long  whiff  of  the  aromatic  Russian  tobacco 
that  smoldered  in  the  bowl.  The  colonel  produced  a 
cigar,  bit  off  the  end,  and  lighted  it. 

"I  suppose  you've  seen  the  advertisements  of 
'Soothoid/  that  chewing-gum  stuff,  all  over  the  town, 
haven't  you  ?"  he  began. 

Astro  nodded  gravely. 

"Biggest  fake  on  earth,"  said  the  colonel,  "and  the 
most  remunerative.  My  old  uncle  invented  it,  you 
know.  Conceived  the  brilliantly  vile  idea  of  doping 
ordinary  chicle  with  a  tincture  of  opium  and  making 
chewing-gum  of  it.  'It  soothes  the  nerves/ — I  should 
say  it  did! — 'Children  cry  for  it/  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing !  It's  monstrous,  of  course.  It  ought  to  be  sup- 
pressed by  law,  and  it's  only  a  question  of  time  when 
this  pure-food  agitation  will  knock  it  out  of  business. 
It's  a  crime  against  civilization ;  but  all  the  same  it  has 
made  four  millions  for  that  disreputable  old  uncle  of 
mine,  and  now  the  whole  works  belong  to  me.  Brings 
me  in  eighteen  thousand  a  year.  I'm  afraid  to  stop  it, 
and  more  afraid  not  to.  But  that's  not  the  point." 

He  rolled  his  cigar  from  one  corner  of  his  mouth  to 
another,  flicked  a  fleck  of  dust  from  his  spotless  trou- 
sers, and  looked  calmly  at  Astro.  The  Seer  smiled,  de- 
spite himself,  waved  his  hand  dispassionately  for  the 
other  to  proceed,  and  waited. 

"The  thing  is  this,"  the  colonel  went  on.  "I'm  an 
expert  on  ordnance,  and  I've  traveled  all  over  the 
world  for  the  government.  Never  at  home  from  one 
year's  end  to  another.  I  came  back  to  find  myself  im- 


330       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

mensely  rich,  last  October,  and  at  the  same  time  up 
against  a  mystery  that  it's  practically  impossible  to 
solve.  So  I  come  to  you.  Understand  ?" 

"Scarcely,  as  yet/'  said  the  Master.  "Kindly  go  on." 

"Why,  see  here.  I  have  a  son — or  thought  I  had. 
Query :  Is  he  my  son  at  all  ?  And  if  not,  who  is  to  in- 
herit the  'Soothoid'  millions?  That's  the  question  I 
have  to  decide  right  away.  I  have  angina  pectoris. 
I'm  likely  to  die  any  fine  day.  I  don't  want  a  chap 
that's  no  relative  of  mine  to  get  away  with  all  that 
money,  do  I?" 

"My  dear  Colonel,"  said  Astro,  "you'll  have  to  give 
me  more  information  than  that,  before  I  decide  such  a 
weighty  question  for  you.  What  do  you  mean  by  say- 
ing you  don't  know  whether  he's  your  son  or  not.  You 
mean  you  suspect — " 

The  colonel  roared.  "Oh,  lord,  no,  not  that!"  he 
exclaimed.  "This  is  no  question  of  matrimonial  infe- 
licity, you  know.  I'm  the  father  of  a  child,  all  right; 
only,  the  question  is,  what  child?"  He  put  it  very 
gravely. 

"Tell  me  the  whole  story."  Astro's  brows  bent  on 
his  client. 

"Well,  then,  see  here.  When  the  child  was  born,  my 
wife  was  in  a  hospital  on  Long  Island.  I  wanted  her 
to  have  the  very  best  of  care,  especially  as  I  had  to  be 
away  so  much.  Well,  the  night  her  child  was  born,  the 
hospital  took  fire.  It  spread  so  quickly  that  they 
couldn't  get  the  patients  out  fast  enough.  The  doctors 
working  over  my  wife  didn't  dare  leave  her,  and  they 
worked  against  time.  Just  after  they  finished  with  her 
and  another  case  of  the  same  kind,  the  wing  caught, 


THE    HEIR   TO   SOOTHOID  331 

and  there  was  barely  time  to  hustle  every  one  down- 
stairs and  outside.  Do  you  see  the  situation?  They 
had  to  work  quick.  Those  surgeons  showed  all  sorts 
of  nerve,  I  can  tell  you.  But  in  the  confusion  the  two 
babies  were  somehow  mixed  up  by  the  nurse.  One 
was  a  boy,  and  one  was  a  girl,  born  within  three  min- 
utes of  each  other.  But  which  was  my  child,  the  boy 
or  the  girl?  That's  how  it  stands.  You  see,  at  the 
time  nothing  was  said  to  me  about  any  uncertainty. 
My  wife  died  from  the  shock ;  so  did  the  other  woman. 
The  boy  was  given  to  me  as  my  baby.  I  never  sus- 
pected that  there  was  any  doubt  about  it,  and  have 
brought  him  up  and  educated  him  as  my  son." 

"But  when  did  you  first  suspect  that  he  wasn't?" 
Astro  asked. 

"Only  a  month  ago.  The  former  nurse  told  the 
whole  thing.  Said  it  was  on  her  conscience,  and  had 
been  for  years ;  so  much  so  that  she  had  kept  track  of 
both  children.  The  little  girl  was  put  in  an  orphan 
asylum,  as  no  one  came  to  claim  her;  then  she  was 
adopted  by  a  family  in  Newark ;  and  now  she's  a  sales- 
girl at  Bloom's  candy  store.  Working  behind  a  coun- 
ter at  six  a  week,  by  Jove !  and  may  be  my  daughter, 
and  the  heir  to  'Soothoid' !  What  do  you  think  of 
that?  Wouldn't  you  worry?"  He  shoved  his  hands 
into  his  pockets  and  regarded  the  Master  of  Mysteries. 

"The  nurse  isn't  sure  which  is  which  ?" 

"No.  It  has  been  tormenting  her  conscience  for 
twenty  years,  and  she  had  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it. 
All  she  knows  is  that  she  'mixed  those  babies  up' ;  like 
Little  Buttercup  in  Pinafore.  So  I've  come  to  you. 
Doctors  say  it  positively  can't  be  proved,  either  way.  I 
thought  you  might  do  it  by  the  palms  or  crystals  or 


332        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

something.  I've  seen  'em  do  some  great  stunts  in 
India,  and  I  believe  there  is  something  in  this  occult 
business.  They  tell  me  you  have  a  pretty  good  record 
for  that  sort  of  thing  here  in  New  York." 

The  Seer  waved  his  hand  modestly.  "Does  the  boy 
resemble  you  in  any  way?"  he  asked. 

"Why,  he  does  and  he  doesn't.  You  know  the  way 
things  like  that  go.  I've  been  told  I  look  like  every- 
body under  the  sun.  I  suppose  I'm  a  type.  Well,  he 
is,  too.  Sometimes  I  think  he's  like  me,  and  then  I 
doubt  it.  There's  one  funny  thing,  though.  We  both 
of  us  sleep  with  our  thumbs  curled  up  inside  our  fists. 
Then  he  has  a  second  toe  longer  than  his  great  toe, 
and  so  have  I.  They  tell  me  that's  rare.  My  father 
had  it  too,  though.  He  has  blue  eyes,  and  so  have  I. 
Red  hair,  though,  and  there's  no  trace  of  that  in  my 
family  or  my  wife's,  that  I  know  of." 

"And  the  girl — have  you  seen  her  ?"  Astro  inquired. 

"Of  course.  Went  right  down  there  immediately, 
and  found  her  behind  the  counter — selling  'Soothoid,' 
by  Jove !  Big  pompadour,  rats  in  her  hair,  brass  ban- 
gles, and  all.  What  do  you  expect  for  six  a  week, 
though?  If  she's  my  daughter,  she'll  soon  learn  how 
to  act  the  part,  don't  you  worry !" 

Astro  laughed  again.  "She  hasn't  been  spoken  to 
about  it,  I  hope  ?" 

"Oh,  lord,  no!  What  do  you  take  me  for?  I 
wouldn't  have  her  building  air  castles  for  the  world. 
I  only  bought  a  pound  of  cheap  chocolates  and  talked 
to  her  a  little.  I've  no  doubt  the  poor  girl  thought  I 
was  trying  to  mash  her.  She  was  a  nice  little  thing, 
though,  for  all  her  rats.  I  liked  her,  by  Jove !  I'd  like 


THE   HEIR   TO   SOOTHOID  333 

to  do  something  for  her  in  any  case,  daughter  or  not. 
Her  name  is  Miss  Maverick." 

"Does  she  resemble  you  or  your  wife  ?" 

"Why,  the  funny  part  of  it  is  that  she  does,  in  a  far- 
away sort  of  fashion.  I  noticed  that  she  was  left- 
handed,  too,  like  me.  Blue  eyes ;  but  her  hair  was 
hennaed,  so  I  couldn't  tell  about  that.  Cute  little 
thing,  she  is.  Confound  it!  I  did  like  her  immensely, 
at  first  sight." 

"Well,"  said  the  Seer,  after  reflecting  a  while,  "I 
must  confess  that  you  have  set  a  difficult  problem  for 
me.  But  I  think  that  it  can  be  determined  through 
astral  means.  No  doubt  you  have  consulted  some 
medium  already?" 

"Oh,  they're  all  a  lot  of  fakers !  They  told  me  that 
the  boy  was  mine  and  that  the  girl  was,  too,  both." 

"I  agree  with  you.  The  ordinary  mediums  are  an 
ignorant  and  unscrupulous  lot.  I  have  occult  methods 
unknown  except  in  the  Himalayas.  But  it  will  be  diffi- 
cult, I  am  afraid.  But  may  I  ask  you  what  is  the  mat- 
ter with  your  eyes,  Colonel?" 

The  colonel  stared.  "My  eyes?  Nothing  except  a 
slight  astigmatism.  I  have  some  glasses ;  but  I  seldom 
wear  them.  Why?" 

"They  seem  peculiar  to  me.  You  know  that  the  eye 
has  been  called  the  'window  of  the  soul'.  The  phrase 
is  trite;  but  it  contains  a  germ  of  truth.  I  can  tell  a 
great  deal  from  the  eye,  as  much  as  from  the  palm  or 
the  voice.  If  you  don't  mind,  I'd  like  to  examine  yours 
with  the  ophthalmoscope.  My  methods  are  my  own; 
but  I  don't  hesitate  to  make  use  of  the  instruments 
known  to  modern  science.  After  all,  the  ophthalmo- 


334       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

scope  merely  enables  one  to  see  through  the  cornea 
into  the  retina  and  the  optic  plexus." 

With  that  he  called  in  Valeska,  who  darkened  the 
great  studio.  Then  she  turned  on  a  single  electric 
lamp  which  had  a  blue-glass  bulb.  The  thread  of  in- 
candescent wire  showed  purple.  Then,  attaching  his 
instrument  to  the  wires,  he  went  up  to  the  colonel  and 
peered  through  the  little  slit  in  the  holder.  He  gazed 
for  some  moments  in  silence,  then  switched  on  the 
lights  again. 

"Now,"  he  added,  "I  have  to  make  a  request  that 
may  seem  absurd.  You  may  have  heard  of  divination 
by  moles.  It  is  an  almost  unknown  art ;  but,  while  not 
absolute,  there  is  much  to  be  learned  from  the  relative 
disposition  of  such  marks  on  the  human  body.  Casa- 
nova, you  may  recall,  if  you  have  read  his  memoirs, 
practised  the  art,  and  had  a  theory  regarding  the  sym- 
metrical distribution  of  moles.  For  instance,  if  one 
has  a  mole  on  the  right  cheek,  there  is  a  probability 
that  there  will  be  another  to  correspond  with  it  on  the 
left  hip.  We  are  tracing,  you  understand,  mere  physi- 
cal heredity.  That  is  all  you  require,  I  believe.  The 
relation  of  souls  is  far  beyond  our  ken." 

"That's  true,"  said  the  colonel.  "People  often  seem 
to  bear  no  spiritual  relationship  to  their  parents." 

"Where  the  soul  comes  from  will  probably  always 
remain  unsettled  by  modern  science,"  Astro  agreed. 
"It  is  one  of  the  world  questions  that  even  Haeckel 
gave  up.  Our  oriental  philosophers  have  their  explana- 
tion; but  for  that  one  has  to  know  the  whole  lore  of 
the  Vedantic  sacred  books.  But  there  are  laws  that 
govern  the  transmission  of  physical  characteristics. 
Now,  therefore,  if  you  will  kindly  step  into  this  room 


THE   HEIR   TO   SOOTHOID  335 

and  remove  your  clothes,  I  shall  chart  your  birthmarks 
and  compare  them  with  your  horoscope." 

Ten  minutes  later  the  Seer  joined  Valeska  in  the 
studio.  In  his  hand  was  a  little  diagram,  an  outline  of 
the  human  form  shown  in  four  positions,  from  the 
front  and  back,  the  right  and  left  sides.  Little  crosses 
were  marked  where  the  moles  on  the  colonel's  body 
appeared.  He  handed  it  to  his  assistant  with  a  wink, 
and  she  left  immediately.  The  colonel  came  in  soon 
after,  as  faultlessly  dressed  as  ever,  and,  after  a  few 
more  questions  from  Astro,  was  permitted  to  take  his 
leave. 


"Now,"  said  Astro,  when  he  was  again  alone  with 
Valeska,  "you  have  a-  delicate  piece  of  detective  work 
to  do.  Do  you  think  you  can  get  a  position  in  Bloom's 
confectionery  store  and  scrape  up  an  acquaintance  with 
Miss  Maverick?" 

"I  shall  be  delighted  to  try,"  was  her  reply.  "I  sup- 
pose I'll  earn  six  dollars  a  week  at  it,  won't  I  ?" 

"Colonel  Mixter  is  worth  millions.  I  expect  it  will 
pay  you  pretty  well." 

"Besides  being  lots  of  fun!"  Valeska's  eyes  shone. 
"But,  really,  it  seems  to  me  that  there's  a  much  simpler 
way  of  settling  the  question.  Why  not  marry  young 
Mixter  to  Miss  Maverick?  Then,  whoever  is  the  true 
heir,  he  or  she'll  have  the  use  of  the  money." 

"That  is  exactly  what  I  propose  to  do.  It's  the  only 
solution  possible.  Heredity  can't  be  proved  by  any 
method  known  to  modern  science,  of  course ;  but  we'll 
have  to  make  three  persons  believe  that  it  can.  I  be- 
lieve I  can  convince  them  all.  At  any  rate,  it's  as  pretty 


336       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

a  task  as  the  other,  and  you  ought  to  be  able  to  man- 
age it,  if  any  one  can." 

"Oh,  you  can't  make  a  person  fall  in  love  so  easily 
as  that!"  said  Valeska,  turning  away. 

"I  think  you  could  make  any  one  fall  in  love,"  he 
answered,  gazing  at  her. 

For  a  while  there  was  silence  between  them.  Then 
with  apparent  effort,  he  took  up  the  subject  they  had 
left. 

"The  evidence  is  pretty  equally  balanced  between 
the  two,"  he  said.  "The  son  curls  in  his  thumb  in  his 
sleep ;  but  many  do  that.  The  same  with  the  long  sec- 
ond toe.  Both  have  blue  eyes;  so  that's  no  test.  The 
girl  affects  him  mentally,  or  spiritually;  but  that's 
merely  sentimental  evidence.  Her  sinistrality,  of 
course,  amounts  to  nothing,  nor  does  the  faint  resem- 
blance he  remarked  to  himself.  We  have  to  have  some 
positive  physical  abnormality  in  order  to  appear  to 
prove  heredity.  Mere  probability  doesn't  count." 

"How  about  finger  prints  ?"  Valeska  asked. 

"We  know  little  of  that.  We  have  no  records  of 
hereditary  transmission  in  that  direction.  It's  too  bad." 

"What  was  the  ophthalmoscope  test  for?  And  why 
all  that  patter  of  moles  and  birthmarks?" 

"A  mere  shot  in  the  air!  Do  you  know  what  I 
brought  down,  though?  The  colonel  has  an  optic  disk 
- — that's  where  the  optic  nerve  comes  into  the  retina — 
of  a  most  peculiar  shape,  like  an  angel's  wings.  I  just 
stumbled  on  it,  in  the  hope  of  finding  something  pe- 
culiar that  wouldn't  appear  to  any  observer.  Also,  he 
has  a  curious  red  birthmark  of  almost  the  same  shape 
on  his  left  shoulder.  I  saw  it  when  I  was  pretending 
to  diagram  the  moles.  Now  what  we  have  to  do  is  to 


THE   HEIR   TO    SOOTHOID  337 

examine  both  youngsters  in  some  way.  You'll  have  to 
patch  up  a  friendship  with  the  girl,  Miss  Maverick, 
while  I  investigate  the  boy.  His  father  will  help  in 
that.  I'll  fix  it:  Have  a  doctor's  sign  painted  on  the 
door  of  my  laboratory,  and  with  the  father's  directions, 
medically  inspect  the  lad  for  life  insurance.  That's 
easy.  If  we  find  one  of  the  stigmata,  the  proof  will 
be  strong  enough.  Should  we  find  two,  it  may  be  called 
positive  certainty." 


A  week  afterward  found  Valeska  behind  the  counter 
at  Bloom's,  dressed  in  white,  with  a  pompadour  as  big 
as  any  of  those  in  the  shop,  selling  candy  and  soda- 
water.  Her  bare  arms  were  heavy  with  bracelets,  her 
language  was  slangy  and  facetious.  Her  companion 
at  the  counter  was  Miss  Maverick,  known  to  the  other 
employees  as  Bessie.  It  did  not  take  Valeska  long  to 
create  a  friendship. 

Bessie  was  a  demure  little  miss,  who  did  not  by  any 
means  tell  all  she  knew  to  a  chance  acquaintance.  But 
Valeska  asked  no  questions.  Her  conversation  was  a 
monologue,  apparently  artless,  but  cleverly  contrived 
to  throw  the  most  suspicious  off  her  guard.  She  asked 
Bessie's  advice  on  this  and  that;  she  fished  for  Bes- 
sie's compliments;  she  gave  Bessie  hardly  a  chance 
for  a  word.  A  week  went  by  without  a  move  in  the 
desired  direction.  Then  Valeska  came  to  the  shop  with 
a  tale  of  misfortune, — of  a  lost  purse  and  other  pa- 
thetic details.  Bessie  offered  to  share  her  own  room 
with  her.  From  that  moment  all  was  easy.  Valeska 
gradually  talked  less;  Bessie  gradually  talked  more. 
The  two  soon  became  real  friends. 


338       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Valeska's  first  report  to  Astro  was  sensational. 
"What  do  you  think?"  she  announced,  "Bessie  knows 
all  about  the  'Soothoid'  affair,  and  the  colonel,  and 
even  the  colonel's  son!  One  of  those  mediums  gave 
the  whole  thing  away  to  her,  and  tried  to  get  her  to 
stand  in  with  him  to  claim  the  heirship  of  the  estate. 
But  she's  the  squarest  little  brick  in  the  world,  Bessie 
is !  She's  a  dear ;  she's  pure  gold !  She  has  looked  up 
the  colonel's  business  herself,  and  is  all  ready  to  fall 
in  love  with  the  colonel's  son,  just  for  himself  alone. 
It's  going  to  be  easier  than  I  thought/' 

"But  how  about  the  birthmarks?"  Astro  inquired. 

"Oh,  you've  no  idea  how  hard  it  was  to  find  that 
out,  till  she  had  a  little  touch  of  rheumatism.  Then 
I  offered  to  rub  liniment  on  her  back,  and — well,  she 
has  a  birthmark,  something  the  shape  of  what  you  said, 
an  angel's  wings." 

"What?"  Astro  cried. 

"It's  true.  And  how  about  Willie  Mixter?" 

"Well,  he  has  a  birthmark,  too,"  said  Astro. 

Valeska  burst  into  a  laugh.  "Thereby  proving  that 
the  earth  is  round,  or  something  like  that,  doesn't  it? 
Well,  what  to  do  now,  I  don't  see." 

"You  forget  the  ophthalmoscope." 

"Have  you  looked  at  Willie's  eyes?" 

"Yes,  and  his  optic  disk  is  the  ordinary,  irregular 
circle." 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad!  Then  there's  a  chance  for  Bes- 
sie's making  good  for  the  'Soothoid'  millions." 

"If  you  can  get  her  up  here  for  me  to  examine  her 
eyes." 

"But  what  if,  after  all,  I  can  make  the  match  with- 
out?" 


THE  HEIR  TO   SOOTHOID.  339 

"OH,  I  spoke  to  the  colonel  about  that.  He'd  be 
delighted.  He  really  has  taken  a  fancy  to  Bessie." 

"Then  Willie  must  see  her." 

"I  agree.  And  I've  been  thinking  that  in  any  case 
Willie  should  be  told.  If  he  loses  his  money,  he'll  have 
to  know,  anyway.  And  I  see  no  reason  why  he 
shouldn't  know  now.  He's  really  a  fine  chap,  a  gentle- 
man in  every  sense  of  the  word.  If  I  know  anything 
of  psychology,  the  thing  will  appeal  to  him  as  im- 
mensely romantic." 

It  was  with  the  keenest  interest,  therefore,  that  Va- 
leska,  three  days  later,  saw  Willie  Mixter  enter 
Bloom's,  cast  his  eyes  about  the  shop,  and  walk  toward 
the  counter  behind  which  Bessie  Maverick  stood.  She 
saw  Bessie  blush;  but  the  conversation  was  too  low 
to  be  overheard.  When  the  time  came  for  the  girls  to 
leave  the  shop,  instead  of  Bessie's  accompanying  Va- 
leska  to  their  room,  she  excused  herself  and  went  off 
alone.  Valeska  followed  at  a  discreet  distance.  In  five 
minutes  she  saw  Willie  Mixter  overtake  Bessie,  and 
the  two  walked  off  like  old  friends. 

The  next  day  he  came  in  again.  Valeska  asked  no 
questions.  Bessie  had  grown  reserved.  But  she  did 
not  go  this  night,  either,  to  the  little  dairy  place  where 
the  two  girls  usually  took  their  dinner.  So  it  went  on 
for  another  week,  Bessie  seeing  the  rich  young  fellow 
two  or  three  times. 

That  next  Sunday,  as  the  two  girls  sat  in  their  little 
room  on  East  Nineteenth  Street,  Bessie  began  to  cry. 
Valeska's  arm  was  about  her  neck  immediately,  and, 
through  her  sobs,  Bessie  came  out  with  the  whole 
story. 


340       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

"He  wants  to  marry  me !"  she  confessed.  "And  I 
love  him  so  much  that  I  won't !  I  know  it's  all  on  ac- 
count of  this  miserable  money,  and  he  only  wants  to 
be  fair  with  me,  and  divide.  I  simply  can't  accept  him 
on  that  account !  He'd  think,  anyway,  I  was  after  him 
on  account  of  his  money,  even  if  I  didn't  think  he  was 
after  me  only  because  of  his  conscience.  It's  hopeless, 
my  dear,  hopeless !  I  hope  I'll  die  and  end  it  that  way ! 
I  wish  I  might  never  see  a  package  of  'Soothoid' 
again  as  long  as  I  live !" 

"Oh,  of  course  you'll  marry  him!"  Valeska  said. 
"I'm  sure  he's  in  love  with  you." 

"He  is  not !  He  talks  all  the  time  about  our  dividing 
the  money ;  so  I'm  sure  he  only  wants  to  arrange  it  like 
one  of  those  royal  family  complications  I've  read  about. 
I've  got  to  tell  some  one !"  she  went  on.  "I'm  breaking 
my  heart  with  it.  I  have  no  mother  and  no  father," 
here  she  broke  off  to  stare  wildly  at  Valeska,  "unless 
the  colonel  is  my  father ;  and  so  I  tell  you !  Oh,  dear ! 
it  can  never  be  settled !  That's  the  horrible  part  of  it. 
If  that  horrid  old  nurse  had  only  been  more  careful  of 
us!"  and  she  laughed  through  her  tears  hysterically. 
"What  shall  I  do,  Valeska,  what  shall  I  do?" 

"Do  you  really  want  my  advice  ?"  Valeska  asked. 

Bessie  snuggled  closer  to  her  friend. 

"I  have  a  friend,"  Valeska  said  slowly,  "a  man  whom 
I  know  you  can  trust.  He  is  the  wisest  person  in  the 
world,  it  seems  to  me.  He  has  been  my  friend  a  long 
time.  He  saved  me  from  what  was  worse  than  death." 

"Are  you  in  love  with  him  ?"  Bessie  interrupted. 

Valeska  ignored  the  remark.  "He  is  a  palmist  and 
an  astrologer,  and  I  used  to  work  for  him.  He  has 
solved  some  of  the  most  astonishing  mysteries  in  this 


THE   HEIR   TO   SOOTHOID  341 

city.  He  is  continually  doing  good.  You  can  be  sure 
of  him." 

"What  must  I  do  ?"  Bessie  demanded. 

"He  knows  all  about  you,"  said  Valeska.  "The  colo- 
nel has  told  him  everything,  and  Astro,  my  friend, 
has  agreed  to  help  solve  the  problem.  I  know  I  can 
trust  you,  when  I  tell  you  this.  I  want  you  to  see  him 
and  ask  his  advice." 

"I  will!"  Bessie  rose  with  determination.  "I'll  just 
leave  it  all  to  him.  He  can't  make  it  any  worse  than 
to  tell  me  that  I'm  not  the  colonel's  daughter,  and  then 
that  will  settle  it.  Let's  go  and  call  on  him  now." 


Astro  looked  up  in  surprise  when  he  saw  the  two 
girls  enter  the  studio.  A  secret  glance  from  Valeska 
told  him  the  truth.  He  nodded,  and  welcomed  the 
visitor. 

"I've  told  her  everything,"  said  Valeska.  "She  can 
be  trusted.  You  will  take  my  word  for  it,  I  know. 
And  she's  ready  for  the  ophthalmoscope  test." 

"Is  it  really  a  proof  ?"  Bessie  asked  timidly. 

"My  dear  girl,"  said  Astro,  "if  your  optic  disk  shows 
itself  to  be  the  ordinary  circle,  nothing  whatever  will 
be  proved,  and  the  chances  are  equal  as  between  you 
and  Willie.  If,  on  the  contrary  it  appears  like  your 
father's — I  mean  the  colonel's — it  will  be  ten  thou- 
sand to  one  that  you  are  descended  from  him;  that 
you  are,  in  fact,  his  daughter.  Now,  Valeska,  put  down 
the  lights  and  light  the  blue  bulb." 

The  room  became  dim  and  full  of  shadows.  The  in- 
candescent wire  of  the  electric  lamp  showed  a  rich 
purple.  Astro  took  up  the  instrument,  placed  it  in 


342        THE    MASTER    OF    MYSTERIES 

front  of  Miss  Maverick's  eyes  and  stared  through  the 
aperture. 

"Come  here,  Valeska!" 

He  handed  her  the  ophthalmoscope,  adjusted  it,  and 
bade  her  look.  Valeska  gazed  into  the  retina  of  Bes- 
sie's eye.  At  first  she  could  distinguish  nothing. 
Slowly  she  perceived  the  warm  pink  back  of  the  eye, 
and  in  the  center  a  ruddy  spot.  It  was  the  optic  disk 
— shaped  like  an  angel's  wings!  She  dropped  the  in- 
strument and  clasped  Bessie  in  her  arms. 

"Bessie  Mixter!"  she  exclaimed. 

"No!"  Bessie  jumped  up,  staring.  For  a  moment 
she  stood  silent,  then  she  grasped  Astro's  hand. 

"Oh,  you  won't  tell  him,  will  you?"  she  pleaded. 
"Promise  me  you  won't  ever,  ever  let  him  know!  I 
don't  want  the  money!  I  want  Willie  to  have  it,  as 
he's  always  had  it !  Don't  let  him  ever,  ever  know !" 

"But  it's  yours !"  Valeska  exclaimed. 

"I  don't  care.  Don't  you  understand,  Valeska?" 

"You  mean—" 

"Yes !"   Bessie  cast  down  her  eyes. 

"Then  you'll  marry  him,  now  you  know  that  the 
money's  rightfully  yours  ?" 

Bessie  drew  herself  up.  "Of  course!"  she  said. 
"Wouldn't  you?" 

"It's  too  much  for  me,"  said  Astro. 

"That,"  said  Valeska,  "is  because  you  are  only  a 
man." 

"I  know  I'm  supposed  not  to  know  anything  about 
love,"  he  said  gloomily. 

"Nothing  at  all !"  Valeska's  tone  was  decisive. 

"And  I'll  have  a  father  after  all!"  cried  Bessie. 
"That's  the  best  part  of  it !  I've  wanted  a  father  all 


* : 


*'  Now  Valeska,  put  down  the  lights  and  light  the  blue  bulb. 


THE   HEIR   TO   SOOTHOID  343 

my  life.  And,"  she  added,  "he'll  never  know,  by  the 
way  I  treat  him,  that  he's  missed  anything  by  not  hav- 
ing a  truly  daughter!"  She  walked  toward  the  tele- 
phone. "I'm  going  to  ring  up  Willie  right  now,"  she 
announced. 

Astro  watched  her  keenly.  "It  would  be  rather 
pleasant  to  have  a  daughter  like  that,"  he  muttered  to 
himself,  and  walked  into  the  laboratory  with  a  thought- 
ful scowl. 


THE  TWO  MISS  MANNINGS 

"T)E  careful,  Valeska,  don't  joggle  my  arm,  now!" 

JD  said  Astro. 

They  were  in  the  small  laboratory  that  led  off  the 
great  studio.  Here  the  Seer  pursued  his  studies  in 
physics,  chemistry,  and  pathology.  Here  he  had  his 
microscope,  over  which  he  spent  most  of  his  leisure. 
Here,  now,  he  stood  before  the  window,  dressed  in  a 
linen  suit,  holding  to  the  light  a  corked  test-tube. 

Valeska  waited,  smiling,  ready  for  a  new  marvel,  a 
new  philosophic  theory,  some  shrewd  comment  on  hu- 
man nature,  or  what  other  thought  had  sprung  from  the 
Master's  prolific  brain.  She  looked  over  his  shoulder, 
letting  her  chin  touch  it,  even;  though  she  did  not 
often  permit  herself  such  intimacy  as  this. 

He  did  not  turn  his  head.  Instead,  without  speak- 
ing he  unstopped  the  tube  gently.  Immediately  in 
the  glass  cylinder  a  tiny  miracle  appeared.  A  white 
ray  sprang  from  the  bottom  of  the  colorless  liquid.  It 
divided  and  subdivided,  branching  in  a  dozen  direc- 
tions ;  and  as  she  looked  it  grew  rapidly,  until  the  in- 
terior of  the  vessel  was  filled  as  if  by  magic  with  a 
feathery  delicate  mass  of  crystals. 

"Oh  !  How  very  beautiful — how  wonderful !"  she 
gasped. 

He  put  the  tube  into  her  hand  and  sat  down  on  the 
table. 

344 


THE   TWO   MISS   MANNINGS         345 

"The  tree  of  Paracelsus,"  he  remarked.  "In  the 
olden  time  it  was  accounted  magic.  With  that  sim- 
ple experiment  with  sodium  sulphate  dukes  and  kings 
may  have  been  beguiled,  fortunes  won,  the  lives  of 
great  men  changed.  Those  were  the  palmy  days  for 
charlatans,  Valeska.  It  paid  well  to  be  an  alchemist 
in  the  Middle  Ages ;  that  is,  if  you  escaped  being  put  to 
death  for  it." 

As  she  handed  back  the  tube,  he  gazed  on  it  thought- 
fully for  a  moment;  and  then,  holding  it  over  a  Bun- 
sen  burner,  warmed  the  tube.  In  a  few  moments  the 
crystals  began  to  melt.  The  tree  shrank  and  disap- 
peared. He  gave  it  a  shake,  and  the  solution  was  trans- 
parent again.  He  set  it  in  a  rack  and  smiled. 

Valeska  waited,  knowing  that  this  was  not  mere 
amusement.  It  was  like  him  to  wait  for  her  to  fathom, 
if  she  could,  what  he  was  thinking.  But  his  mind  sur- 
passed hers;  she  could  only  follow  him  at  times, 
though  oftener  than  at  first.  Here  she  had  no  clue. 

"It's  a  moral  lesson,"  he  said.  "It  is  a  parable  of 
human  nature  and  its  mysteries.  Why  do  we  become 
absolutely  different  persons  when  we  are  angry?  I 
am,  we'll  say,  like  this  clear  solution,  hermetically 
sealed  from  the  atmosphere  of  strife.  Open  the  cork, 
or  drop  in  a  crystal  of  anger.  Immediately,  without 
apparent  reason,  I  am  changed ;  but  not  so  beautifully 
as  this.  Warm  this  tree  of  acrid  bitterness  that  has 
sprung  up,  and  I  melt  into  good  nature  again.  Read- 
ing Paracelsus,  the  analogy  came  into  my  mind.  Thus 
endeth  the  first  lesson." 

And,  so  saying,  he  stripped  off  his  working  clothes, 
attired  himself  in  gown  and  turban,  and,  as  he  changed 
his  costume,  became  again  the  inscrutable  calm  Seer, 


346        THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

ready  for  his  patrons.  He  walked  into  the  dim  studio, 
took  a  gyroscope  from  a  tabouret  and  spun  it  on  a  little 
standard. 

Valeska's  look  followed  him.  His  eyes  questioned 
her.  She  drew  down  her  fair  brows  and  watched  the 
toy,  supported  seemingly  immune  from  the  power  of 
gravitation  as  it  revolved  slowly  in  its  orbit,  its  wheel 
flying  too  fast,  too  silently,  for  its  motion  to  be  per- 
ceived. 

She  spoke  timidly.  "Human  emotions — the  down- 
ward pull — governed  and  held  in  equilibrium  by — " 

"The  trained  mind,  the  intellect,"  he  suggested. 
"Very  well,  Valeska.  Very  well,  indeed!  You're 
coming  on."  He  yawned.  "Well,  now  for  work! 
It's  dangerous  pushing  analogies  too  far." 


"Well,  about  that  young  man  who  came  yesterday  ?" 

"Oh,  yes.  I  didn't  have  time  to  see  him.  Besides, 
it's  time  you  were  taking  some  cases  off  my  hands, 
and  he  didn't  seem  too  anxious.  I  know  you  prefer 
men  to  women."  He  watched  her  from  the  tail  of  his 
eye. 

"I  don't !"  she  protested,  blushing. 

Astro  seemed  pleased.  "Well,  it's  agreeable  for 
them,  at  any  rate.  What  was  the  story?" 

"Why,  it's  most  romantic !  It's  perfectly  ridiculous, 
though!  He  wants  you  to  find  a  strange  woman 
whom  he  saw  on  the  subway." 

"Why  strange?" 

"Oh,  strange  enough  in  every  way.  And  it's  a  hard 
problem,  too." 

"First,  who  is  he?" 


fp 


*  5m 


The  '  Tree  of   Paracelsus,'  "  he   remarked.      "  In  the  olden  times 
it  was  accounted  magic." 


THE   TWO   MISS   MANNINGS         347 

"He's  a  Mr.  Jenson,  and  he  said  to  ring  him  up  at 
Madison  2995  between  nine  and  two  o'clock.  Those 
are  banking  hours.  And  I  found  out  the  number  was 
that  of  the  Sixth  Avenue  National." 

"Very  good.     Go  on." 

"Well,  yesterday  at  four  o'clock,  he  took  a  local  in 
the  subway  at  Twenty-third  Street.  Between  Twenty- 
eighth  Street  and  Thirty-third,  an  up-town  express 
passed  him.  You  know  how,  sometimes,  two  trains 
keep  side  by  side  for  a  short  distance,  exactly  even, 
and  then  the  express  shoots  ahead?" 

"Yes.  I've  often  thought  of  complications  arising 
from  two  passengers  watching  each  other." 

"Which  is  exactly  what  happened.  Directly  op- 
posite his  window  was  a  beautiful  girl  sitting  in  the 
express.  She  seemed  fearfully  agitated,  and  looked  at 
him  strangely ;  almost  as  if  she  recognized  him,  though 
he's  sure  he  has  never  seen  her  before.  But  he  had 
another  sort  of  feeling — an  emotion — as  if  somehow 
she  was  something  to  him, — one  might  call  it  a  sudden 
feeling  of  affinity, — a  real  love  at  first  sight." 

"Oh,  in  the  circumstances  she  felt  safe  enough  to 
flirt  with  him,  I  suppose." 

"Oh,  that's  impossible;  for  it  seemed  evident  that 
she  didn't  feel  safe  at  all, — in  fact  that  she  was  in  a 
great  danger,  and  was  so  distressed  that  she  made  a 
mute  appeal  to  him  for  help." 

"Why  to  him?' 

"To  him,  he  thinks,  perhaps  too  sentimentally,  be- 
cause she,  too,  felt  the  mysterious  affinity, — whatever 
it  is,  trust  in  him,  or  something.  And  she  asked  him 
to  help  her." 

Astro  stared.    "Asked  him !    How,  pray  ?    She  had 


348        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

only  a  few  moments,  and  I  suppose  the  windows  were 
shut.  They  always  are,  even  in  summer." 

"Yes;  but  she  was  really  clever.  She  had  a  news- 
paper in  her  hand.  On  the  front  page  were  the  head- 
lines. Here,  I  have  a  yesterday's  paper." 

She  took  up  a  copy  of  the  Gazette  and  pointed  to 
the  scare-head,  "Tammany  Will  Help  Push  the  New 
Viaduct,"  in  such  a  way  that  only  the  word  "Help"  was 
evident. 

"Then,"  Valeska  continued,  "she  gave  him  a  num- 
ber, 3324,  one  digit  at  a  time,  on  her  fingers." 

"I  see.  And  Mr.  Jenson,  I  suppose,  wants  to  know 
the  lady's  name  and  address,  and  what  she  wanted?" 

"Exactly.  Of  course  the  number  was  that  of  her 
house ;  but  what  street  ?" 

Astro  snapped  his  fingers  impatiently.  "It  was  her 
telephone  number.  Didn't  she  make  any  sign  to  show 
the  central?" 

"Why,  just  as  she  got  to  the  4,  the  train  she  was  in 
swept  out  of  sight  as  his  slowed  up  at  the  Thirty-third-. 
Street  station." 

Astro  thought  for  a  while.  Finally  he  said,  "Take 
the  telephone  book  and  make  a  list  of  all  the  ex- 
changes, first  thing.  Then  we'll  have  to  use  our  pull 
with  the  company  to  find  out  the  names  and  addresses 
of  all  the  3324*5,  and  send  men  to  investigate.  It's 
merely  a  question  of  elimination  then.  But  the  ques- 
tion is,  what  was  the  matter?  That  requires  thought. 
What  happened  yesterday?  I  suppose  you've  finished 
all  the  papers  ?" 

"Yes ;  but  there  was  nothing  that  seemed  important 
to  me." 


THE   TWO    MISS   MANNINGS         349 

"Then  I'll  have  to  look  over  the  files  myself.  What 
a  bore !" 

He  went  into  the  waiting-room  and  began  list- 
lessly to  turn  the  sheets.  He  had  not  gone  far  before 
Valeska  heard  a  low  whistle.  Running  up  to  him,  she 
saw  him  reading  a  news  item  under  the  following 
headings:  "Aged  Woman  Killed  in  Subway  Station. 
Run  Over  by  Down-town  Express  After  Falling  on 
Track  in  View  of  Crowd/' 

"Look  at  that !"  he  exclaimed.  "This  happened  at  a 
quarter  to  three  o'clock  yesterday.  The  mysterious 
lady  might  easily  have  been  at  the  Fourteenth- Street 
station  at  the  time  of  the  accident." 

"And  what  does  that  prove?" 

"Nothing  yet !  but  it's  a,  chance  for  a  clue ;  a  queer 
coincidence,  at  any  rate.  I'll  take  a  think,  when  I  have 
leisure." 

He  went  back  to  the  studio,  and,  after  he  had  fin- 
ished reading  the  palm  of  his  first  client,  Valeska  en- 
tered with  the  list: 


Audubon 
Barclay 
Beekman 
Broad 
Bryant 
Chelsea 
City  Island 
Columbus 

Cortland 
Franklin 
Gramercy 
Hanover 
Harlem 
John 
Kingsbridge 
Lenox 

Madison  Sq. 
Marble 
Melrose 
Morning  Side 
Murray  Hill 
Orchard 
Plaza 
Rector 

Riverside 
Schuyler 
Spring 
Stuyvesant 
Tremont 
Westchester 
Williamsbridge 
Worth 

Astro  glanced  it  over,  and  penciled  it  as  he  talked. 
"We'll  first  strike  out  all  the  stations  obviously  not  in 
the  residence  districts  where  the  lady  would  be  likely 
to  live.  We  may  leave  out  Beekman,  Barclay,  Broad, 
City  Island,  Franklin,  Cortland,  John,  Hanover,  Or- 
chard, Rector,  and  Worth.  That  leaves  us  still  nine- 


350       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

teen  numbers  to  investigate.  Now,  if  the  young  lady 
wanted  help  badly  enough  to  appeal  to  a  casual  stran- 
ger, and  for  that  purpose  tried  to  communicate  her 
telephone  number,  it  must  have  been  that  she  was 
going  directly  home,  and  wanted  a  quick  reply.  As 
she  was  on  a  subway  express  at  Thirty-third  Street, 
then  it  couldn't  have  been  either  of  the  Chelsea, 
Gramercy,  Madison  Square,  Spring,  or  Stuyvesant  dis- 
tricts. The  subway  does  not  go  near  the  Harlem, 
Melrose,  Lenox,  Tremont,  Westchester,  or  Williams- 
bridge  sections.  Let's  see,  then,  what  is  left:  Audu- 
bon,  Bryant,  Columbus,  Kingsbridge,  Morningside, 
Riverside,  and  Murray  Hill.  Ring  up  Mr.  Potter  in 
the  advertising  department  of  the  telephone  company, 
and  tell  him  I'd  like  to  find  the  names  and  addresses 
of  number  3324  in  each  of  those  seven  exchanges." 

Valeska  left  the  studio  on  this  errand,  and,  as  no 
client  appeared,  Astro  picked  up  his  Paracelsus  and 
went  on  with  his  reading.  He  had  finished  the  chapter 
on  Aqueous  Vapors  when  she  returned.  He  took  up 
her  memorandum  and  looked  it  over.  The  Audubon 
and  Kingsbridge  addresses  he  eliminated,  for  the  pres- 
ent, these  being  apartment-houses  with  private  ex- 
changes. The  Social  Register  enabled  him  to  identify 
the  persons  in  the  Morningside,  Plaza,  and  Riverside 
districts.  There  were  left  only  three  addresses,  as  fol- 
lows: 

(Bryant,  3324)  H.  J.  Cook,  199  West  Forty-fifth 
Street. 

(Columbus,  3324)  Peter  J.  Manning,  521  West  Sev- 
enty-third Street. 


THE   TWO   MISS    MANNINGS         351 

(Murray  Hill,  3324)  Alpheus  Hardy,  118  East  Thirty- 
sixth  Street. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "the  last  one,  Hardy,  must  go,  be- 
cause if  she  were  going  to  East  Thirty-sixth  Street, 
the  lady  would  have  taken  a  local  to  Thirty-third-Street 
station.  To-morrow  we'll  see  what  we  can  find  out 
about  the  Cooks  and  Mannings.  We'll  see  if  my  theory 
is  correct.  You  have  a  description  of  the  girl,  I  sup- 
pose?" 

"Such  as  it  is,  not  much ;  though  he'd  know  her,  of 
course,  if  he  saw  her  again.  He  was  too  busy  trying 
to  take  her  message  to  have  noticed  or  recalled  much. 
He  did  say  she  wore  chinchilla  furs,  though,  had  red- 
dish hair,  and  either  a  scar  or  a  deep  dimple  in  her 
chin." 

"I  hope  it's  a  dimple,"  said  Astro,  taking  up  his 
Paracelsus. 

Valeska  pouted,  shook  her  fist  at  him,  and  retired. 

The  next  morning  a  man  purporting  to  be  an  agent 
of  the  New  York  Directory  Company  called  at  199 
West  Forty-fifth  Street  and  asked  many  questions. 
He  had  an  affable  way  with  him  that  quite  won  the 
heart  of  the  maid  who  answered  the  door.  She  denied, 
however,  that  there  was  any  young  woman  living  in 
the  house,  which  belonged  to  H.  J.  Cook. 

That  afternoon  the  same  agent  called  at  521  West 
Seventy-third  Street.  He  was  met  by  a  butler,  who 
treated  the  agent  with  cold  disdain  and  refused  to 
commit  himself  more  than  to  assert  that  the  house  was 
the  residence  of  Peter  J.  Manning,  wholesale  wood 
dealer.  The  servant  thawed  out,  however,  in  an  inter- 


352        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

view  with  a  young  woman  who  called  later,  asking 
for  Miss  Manning.  Miss  Manning,  he  ventured  to 
say,  was  out;  but  was  expected  back  at  two  o'clock. 
He  had  not  heard  that  she  had  lost  any  chinchilla  furs, 
but  hoped  the  young  lady  would  return,  and  if  the 
furs  found  belonged  to  Miss  Manning,  he  was  sure 
that  the  finder  would  be  well  rewarded.  Yes,  he  had 
seen  Miss  Manning  with  chinchillas,  and  it  was  his 
opinion  that  she  had  them  on  when  she  left  the  house 
at  ten  o'clock  that  morning.  He  hoped  the  young  lady 
would  call  again. 

At  one  o'clock  a  coupe  drew  up  at  the  corner  of 
West  Seventy-third  Street  and  Broadway  and  stopped. 
The  curtains  were  drawn  at  the  side  of  the  carriage, 
but  a  man's  face  occasionally  looked  out  from  the  little 
window  in  the  .end.  Two  o'clock  passed,  and  three. 

Meanwhile,  another  coupe  had  been  standing  at  the 
corner  of  West  End  Avenue,  at  the  other  end  of  the 
same  block.  In  this  also  the  curtains  were  drawn; 
but  at  times  a  passing  pedestrian  caught  sight  of  a 
young  woman's  pretty  face,  with  light  hair  and  blue 
eyes.  At  about  half  past  two  o'clock  a  woman  wearing 
chinchilla  furs  passed  the  carriage.  Its  occupant  im- 
mediately alighted  and  after  a  word  to  the  driver,  fol- 
lowed her.  She  walked  rapidly  along  Seventy-third 
Street,  and  ran  up  the  steps  of  number  521.  The  fol- 
lower did  not  stop,  however,  but  went  to  Broadway, 
spoke  to  the  driver  of  the  waiting  cab,  and  sprang  in. 
It  immediately  drove  off. 

At  the  studio  Valeska  went  immediately  to  the  tele- 
phone and  rang  up  Jenson. 


THE   TWO    MISS   MANNINGS         353 

"The  person  you  inquired  about,"  she  said,  "is  Miss 
Margaret  Manning,  and  she  is  now  at  521  West  Sev- 
enty-third Street.  I  gave  the  Master  the  card-case  you 
left,  and  with  that  as  a  test  he  went  into  an  astral 
trance  yesterday.  While  in  that  state  he  saw,  clair- 
voyantly,  the  scene  you  described,  as  well  as  the  girl's 
subsequent  movements." 

She  waited  for  the  reply  and  then  smiled  as  she  an- 
swered, "I'm  afraid  I  can  not  tell  you  more  of  her,  Mr. 
Jenson.  The  Master  does  not  feel  that  he  is  at  liberty 
to  disclose  the  secrets  revealed  to  him  while  in  this 
astral  state.  Should  events  prove  it  advisable,  how- 
ever, he  will  inform  you,  as  far  as  is  possible.  The 
girl  is  in  trouble;  but  we  must  make  sure  that  she 
desires  your  assistance  before  we  let  you  into  the  de- 
tails of  her  life.  Yes,  please  send  a  check  to  Astro. 
One  hundred  dollars.  Thank  you." 

"Oh,  the  girl  is  in  trouble,  is  she,  sorceress?"  Astro 
asked  languidly,  looking  up  from  where  he  was  toying 
with  his  pet  white  lizard. 

"Why,  of  course!  What  woman  isn't?"  said  Va- 
leska.  "Did  you  ever  encounter  one  who  didn't  have 
a  secret  sorrow,  big  or  little?" 

"My  dear,"  and  Astro  playfully  chucked  her  under 
the  chin,  "you  are  positively  learning.  You  are  right, 
of  course.  The  first  thing  a  charlatan  has  to  learn  is 
that  every  man  likes  to  be  understood,  and  every  wom- 
an  to  be  misunderstood.  Both  like  to  be  considered  sen- 
sitive, critical,  good  judges  of  human  nature,  and  of 
delicate  perceptions.  No  one  objects  to  being  called 
reckless;  but  every  one  dislikes  being  considered 
stupid.  But,  seriously,  of  course  the  chances  are  ten 
to  one  that  Miss  Manning  has  some  pet  sorrow,  and 


354       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

if  she  hasn't  Jenson  will  never  know.  At  any  rate, 
we  have  done  our  part.  We'll  see  him  again,  though. 
Any  man  who  has  that  affinity  idea  may  be  depended 
upon  to  do  something  foolish." 

It  was  two  weeks  after  that,  however,  before  Jenson 
was  heard  from.  He  came  in  late  one  afternoon,  pink- 
cheeked  and  immaculate,  in  stylish  clothes,  a  clean- 
shaven, fresh,  young  man,  evidently  wealthy.  Astro 
received  him  gravely.  The  Seer  had  on  his  oriental 
costume  and  his  most  effete  manner. 

"See  here !"  the  young  man  began.  "You're  a  won- 
der, I've  got  to  confess  that !  I  take  off  my  hat  to  you, 
Astro.  I  don't  know  how  you  do  it,  but  you  certainly 
deliver  the  goods.  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  I 
came  to  this  place  as  the  result  of  a  bet.  I  saw  that 
girl  in  the  subway  and  told  one  of  my  friends  about  it. 
He  said,  'You  go  to  Astro;  he  can  do  anything.'  Of 
course,  I  didn't  believe  it,  and  all  this  nonsense  about 
astral  trances  is  rot.  All  the  same,  you  did  find  the 
girl.  It  was  Miss  Manning,  all  right." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Jenson,"  Astro's  voice  was 
a  bit  sarcastic,  "I  presume  you  did  not  come  here  to 
insult  me.  I  take  your  exuberance  as  mere  youth.  As 
you  know  nothing  of  my  methods,  it  would  be  courtesy, 
since  they  are  successful,  to  accept  what  explanation  I 
am  pleased  to  offer.  But  I  pass  that  by." 

"I  say,  you  know,  I  didn't  mean  to  offend  you." 
Jenson  was  visibly  embarrassed. 

Without  reply,  Astro  rose  and  touched  a  gong. 
Valeska  entered  immediately.  With  a  gesture  toward 
the  young  man,  the  Seer  left  the  studio. 

"I  say,  I'm  sorry!"  Jenson  began. 

"The  Master  has  his  moods,"  said  Valeska. 


THE   TWO    MISS   MANNINGS         355 

"I  wanted  to  ask  his  advice." 

"You  may  deal  with  me ;  and  if  he  decides  to  con- 
tinue with  your  case  I  shall  let  you  know."  Valeska 
looked  her  sweetest,  but  her  voice  was  crisp  and  cool. 

"Well,  the  fact  is,  I've  seen  Miss  Manning  three 
times,  and  she  certainly  has  got  me  going.  I  wanted 
to  talk  to  Astro  about  it." 

"Talk  to  me." 

"Well,  it  was  this  way.  I  went  up  to  Seventy-third 
Street  and  hung  around  the  afternoon  you  telephoned, 
and  I  did  succeed  in  seeing  her ;  but  I  was  across  the 
street,  and  before  I  could  get  to  her  she  had  got  into 
a  carriage.  Well,  I've  been  up  there  very  often  since ; 
but  I  never  caught  her  till  about  ten  days  ago.  She 
was  walking  down  the  block,  and  as  I  passed  her  she 
recognized  me  and  stopped.  The  first  thing  she  said 
was,  'Can  you  help  me?  Will  you  help  me?'  I  said 
of  course  I  would.  It  was  romantic.  I  don't  mind 
saying  it  was  mighty  exciting  to  me.  We  walked  a 
way,  and  she  told  me  an  extraordinary  thing.  I  can't 
believe  it ;  indeed,  it's  impossible.  But  she  believed  it, 
though  she  said  it  was  impossible,  too." 

"Well,  what  was  it?" 

"Why,  she  said,  'I'm  frightened  because  something 
that's  obviously  impossible  is  true.  One  hour  ago  I 
was  in  Chicago !'  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?" 

"I  should  say  that  she  was  insane." 

"That  was  my  first  idea ;  but,  as  you  see,  she  herself 
admitted  that  such  a  thing  was  impossible,  as  it  takes 
twenty-four  hours  to  go  from  Chicago  to  New  York. 
It  was  four  o'clock.  She  said  she  was  in  Chicago  in 
front  of  the  Auditorium  at  three." 

"Well,  what  did  she  expect  you  to  do  for  her?" 


356        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"Why,  that  wasn't  all;  she  said  she  had  no  idea 
where  she  was  or  what  she  was  doing  in  New  York. 
She  didn't  even  know  who  the  people  were  she  was 
living  with.  She  remembered  having  signaled  to  me 
on  the  train.  She  was  lost  then,  too.  She  suddenly 
found  herself  with  a  stranger,  a  man  who  seemed  to 
think  he  was  her  protector ;  but  she  was  afraid  of  him. 
She  had  just  heard  him  give  his  telephone  number  to 
a  friend  who  had  passed  through  the  car.  That  was 
all  the  clue  she  had  to  where  she  was  going.  So  she 
signaled  that  to  me;  but  didn't  have  time  to  give  me 
the  name  of  -the  exchange,  'Columbus/  She  wanted 
me  to  take  her  to  Chicago  immediately.  I  told  her  that 
was  impossible;  but  that  I'd  go. the  next  day  with  her 
and  take  her  home.  She  was  afraid  of  this  man's  fol- 
lowing her.  I  made  an  appointment  for  the  next 
morning.  She  was  to  meet  me  in  the  Waldorf-Astoria 
palm-room  at  ten  o'clock." 

"And  she  didn't  come,  of  course?" 

"No.  I  got  frightened — thought  that  something 
serious  was  the  matter — and  called  at  her  house.  Sent 
up  my  name.  She  came  down  and  coolly  asked  to 
know  what  I  wanted.  She  pretended  not  to  know  me, 
and  I  was  in  a  deuce  of  a  situation.  I  floundered  out 
of  it  as  best  I  could;  told  her  I  had  an  appointment. 
She  denied  it;  said  she  didn't  know  me,  nor  what  I 
was  talking  about.  And  there  you  are!"  Jenson 
crossed  his  legs  and  gazed  at  Valeska  with  big  eyes. 

"Well,  I  suppose  you  wish  the  Master  to  explain 
this?" 

"That's  what  I  came  here  for.  I  told  him  the  first 
time  I  came  it  was  on  account  of  a  wager.  I  bet  my 
friend  fifty  dollars  that  Astro  couldn't  find  the  girl. 


THE   TWO   MISS   MANNINGS          357 

Well,  I  lost.  This  time  I  come  believing  in  him.  Will 
you  see  what  you  can  do?  I  confess  I'm  fond  of  that 
girl.  I've  felt  it  from  the  beginning,  the  very  first 
glance.  I  want  to  help  her.  I  want  to  know  her,  and, 
you  may  think  it  absurd,  but  I  want  to  marry  her." 
He  folded  his  arms  and  became  almost  defiant. 

Valeska  rose.  "Very  well.  I  can  promise  nothing ; 
but  I  shall  put  it  before  the  Master,  and,  as  I  said,  I 
shall  let  you  know  his  decision.  Of  myself  I  can  do 
nothing ;  but  I  shall  try  to  influence  him." 

Jenson  left,  thanking  her  profusely.  Just  as  he 
opened  the  door,  he  said  embarrassedly,  "See  here; 
I'd  do  anything  for  that  girl !" 

"Would  you  really?"  Valeska  asked,  smiling. 

"I  mean  just  that, — anything!"  And  Jenson  went 
out  the  door  with  a  grim  look  on  his  face. 

Valeska  came  back  into  the  studio  laughing.  "Do 
tell  me  what  it  means!"  she  exclaimed  after  she  had 
told  the  story  to  Astro. 

He  yawned.  "Isn't  Miss  Manning  calling  quite 
often  at  number  85  Central  Park,  South  ?"  he  remarked 
casually,  examining  his  long  nails. 

"Why,  how  do  you  know?  I  didn't  know  you  had 
done  anything  more  on  the  case." 

"Oh,  very  little.    It's  scarcely  necessary." 

"But  whom  is  she  going  to  see?" 

"Doctor  George  HerreschofT." 

"A  specialist?" 

"A  neurologist." 

"I  don't  understand." 

Astro  smiled  and  shook  his  head  indulgently. 

"Well,  I'll  give  you  a  book  by  Doctor  Morton  Prince 
to  read.  You'll  find  it  as  exciting  as  a  novel ;  I  might 


358       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

venture  to  say  as  exciting  as  Mr.  Jensen's  experience 
with  Miss  Manning." 

Valeska  knew  more  than  to  ask  further.  The  Seer 
usually  gave  her  a  hint  and  let  her  exert  her  imagina- 
tion. 

"Don't  forget  the  accident  in  the  subway  station  at 
Fourteenth  Street.  And  there's  an  article  in  the  No- 
vember number  of  The  Journal  of  Abnormal  Psychol- 
ogy," he  added. 

He  rose,  went  to  the  book-shelves  that  lined  three 
walls  of  the  vast  studio,  took  down  the  book  and  the 
little  magazine,  and  gave  them  to  her  with  a  smile. 
Then  he  walked  into  his  laboratory  to  prepare,  for  her 
edification,  the  arbor  Jovis,  the  arbor  Diange,  and  the 
arbor  Saturnae :  the  trees  of  tin,  silver,  and  lead. 

He  stuck  his  head  out  of  the  door  a  half-hour  later 
and  called  over  to  where  Valeska  was  reading  under  a 
lamp,  "Your  friend  Jenson  will  never  marry  that  girl 
he's  after!" 

"Oh,  won't  he?" 

"No;  she's  going  to  disappear." 

Valeska  stared  at  him  in  wonder.  Her  look  changed 
to  amazement  when  he  added : 

"But  he  may  marry  Margaret  Manning." 

"Why,  she  is  Margaret  Manning,"  she  replied,  still 
puzzled. 

"No,  she  isn't,"  he  said,  laughing,  and  shut  the  door 
of  the  laboratory. 


The  next  day  Jenson  telephoned  to  the  studio. 
Valeska  came  back  from  her  conversation  with  him, 
leaving  the  receiver  off  the  hook.  "He  says  he  has 


THE   TWO    MISS    MANNINGS          359 

met  Miss  Manning  again,  and  she  still  is  urging  him 
to  take  her  to  Chicago.  But  he  has  begun  to  be  sus- 
picious of  her,  and  doubts  if  he  ought  to  do  it.  He 
wants  your  advice." 

Astro  smiled.  "You  might  tell  him  what  I  told  you 
yesterday." 

"Ah !  but  what's  the  use  if  he  hasn't  read  The  Dis- 
sociation of  a  Personality?" 

"Then  suppose  you  advise  him  to  call  on  Doctor 
Herreschoff  and  ask  his  advice." 

"Shall  I,  really?    Who  is  he?" 

"The  most  famous  specialist  on  nervous  diseases 
in  America,  who  knows  more  of  multiple  or  disso- 
ciated personality  than  any  one  living." 

"Oh,  I  see.  I'll  tell  him."  And  Valeska  returned 
to  the  telephone  to  repeat  the  address. 

"You  understand  now?"  Astro  asked. 

"Of  course.  Miss  Manning  has  a  dual  personality. 
In  her  normal  state  she  does  not,  of  course,  recall  Mr. 
Jenson.  In  her  secondary  state  she  appealed  to  him 
for  help." 

"Because  she  literally  did  not  know  where  she  was," 
added  Astro.  "Doubtless,  from  his  story,  while  she 
was  in  Chicago  her  own  normal  self,  she  changed  into 
the  secondary  character,  in  which  she  did  not  even 
know  her  own  brother.  She  alternated  between  the 
two  states,  which  may  be  called  the  A  and  the  B.  It  is 
often  the  case  that  a  mental  or  physical  shock  entirely 
changes  the  personality.  That's  what  I  thought  of  on 
reading  of  the  accident  at  the  subway  station.  No 
doubt  she  witnessed  the  accident.  The  shock  broke 
up  her  personality,  changed  A,  her  normal  state,  into 
B.  She  had,  no  doubt,  been  B  before,  in  Chicago. 


36o       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

But,  finding  herself  with  a  man  she  did  not  recognize, 
she  became  alarmed.  Her  impulse  was  to  appeal  to 
the  first  likely-looking  stranger  for  help.  Somehow 
she  was  attracted  to  Jenson,  and  so  she  signaled  to 
him." 

"Then  she  was  B  again  when  she  asked  him  to  take 
her  to  Chicago?" 

"Certainly.  Of  course  she  must  have  gone  to  Chi- 
cago between  the  time  he  saw  her  on  the  train  and 
when  he  met  her  in  the  street.  She  recalled  having 
been  in  Chicago  at  three  o'clock.  She  must  have 
changed  almost  immediately,  and  taken  the  train  soon 
afterward.  Then,  upon  arriving  in  New  York,  some- 
thing threw  her  back  into  the  B  state  again.  Owing 
to  her  amnesia,  while  in  the  secondary  state,  she  forgot 
all  that  had  happened,  and  thought  it  was  the  same 
day  that  she  was  in  Chicago.  But  when  he  called  at 
the  house,  she  had  changed  back  to  her  normal  con- 
dition. All  that  is  evident  from  his  story.  It  is  as 
evident  that  such  a  case  would  be  brought  to  Doctor 
Herreschoff  for  treatment,  and  doubtless  he  will  be 
very  glad  to  meet  Jenson,  who  knows  something  of 
what  has  happened  to  her  in  this  abnormal,  or  B,  state. 
The  doctor  will  undoubtedly  treat  her  hypnotically  and 
restore  her  to  a  permanently  normal  personality." 

"And  that's  how  Mr.  Jenson's  friend,  poor  B,  will 
disappear  ?" 

"Yes.  There  is,  properly,  no  such  person.  B  is 
merely  a  part  of  Miss  Manning, — Miss  Manning  with 
certain  faculties,  including  memory,  missing.  It's  not 
so  interesting  a  case  as  that  of  Miss  Beauchamp,  which 
Doctor  Prince  has  written  of,  nor  of  the  celebrated 
Felida  X,  reported  by  Azan.  Of  course  there  are  all 


THE   TWO    MISS   MANNINGS         361 

sorts  of  dissociations.  Some  persons  break  up  into 
three  or  four  separate  and  intermittent  personalities. 
But  Miss  Manning  is  certainly  interesting.  I'd  like  to 
meet  her,  myself." 

"And  I'd  like  to  know  how  poor  Jensen's  love- 
affair  will  turn  out,"  said  Valeska.  "I'm  sorry  for 
him." 

"I've  no  doubt  he'll  not  only  lose  the  girl  he  has  fal- 
len in  love  with,  but  he'll  be  asked  to  help  in  putting 
her  out  of  existence." 

"That's  simply  horrible !  He  said  he'd  do  anything 
for  her.  I  wonder  if  he'd  do  that?  But  it's  all  so 
mysterious  and  so  impossible!  Why,  one  might  as 
well  believe  in  witchcraft  or  magic  it  seems  to  me." 

"It  is  just  exactly  what  was  called  witchcraft  in  the 
old  days.  Now  we  understand  it,  and  it  is  merely 
psychology." 

Astro  rose  and  pointed  to  the  laboratory.  "Do  you 
remember  the  tree  of  Paracelsus  ?"  he  asked. 

Valeska  nodded. 

"It  is  like  that.  In  the  Middle  Ages  that  experi- 
ment was  nothing  but  pure  magic.  No  common  per- 
son could  understand  that  the  clear  solution  and  the 
mass  of  crystals  were  different  forms  of  the  same 
thing, — sulphate  of  sodium  and  water.  In  the  same 
way,  no  one  understood  that  one  person  could  appear 
at  different  times  under  different  forms ;  it  was  en- 
chantment. To-day  we  understand  that  one's  person- 
ality is  merely  the  sum  of  his  qualities,  emotions  and 
functions.  This  solid  person  may  break  up  into  other 
combinations ;  part  of  his  functions  may  become  syn- 
thesized and  have  a  volition  of  this  new  group's  own 
character.  We  see  it  every  day.  When  we  lose  our 


362        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

temper  we  become  temporarily  dissociated.  We  say 
things  foreign  to  our  true  nature.  When  we  dream, 
too,  we  become  different  in  many  ways.  Occasionally 
some  natures  in  a  state  of  unstable  equilibrium  top- 
ple over  and  change  their  mental  and  spiritual  struc- 
ture. Then  we  have  such  patients  as  Miss  Beauchamp, 
as  Miss  Smith,  reported  by  Flournoy,  as  Mrs.  Smead, 
whom  Hyslop  describes,  or  Ansel  Bourne,  studied  by 
Doctor  Hodgson  and  Professor  James.  And  how 
many  unknown  such  are  confined  in  insane  asylums, 
who  might  be  easily  restored  to  normality,  God 
knows !" 

He  had  been  walking  up  and  down  the  great  studio 
as  he  talked.  Now  he  returned  to  Valeska,  and  for  an 
instant  his  hand  rested  on  her  blond  head. 

"There's  one  thing  more  potent  than  mental  shock 
that  changes  men's  personality  often  enough,"  he  said 
softly. 

She  looked  up  quickly,  uncomprehending.  "What 
do  you  mean  ?" 

"Did  I  say  one  thing?  There  are  two  things  that 
change  a  man's  character  essentially,"  he  went  on, 
looking  at  her  thoughtfully.  "One  is  a  profound  sor- 
row ;  the  other  is  love."  He  walked  away  to  the  win- 
dow. "Dickens  understood  that,"  he  threw  over  his 
shoulder. 

Valeska  turned  her  eyes  away  from  him,  then  rose 
and  passed  into  the  waiting-room. 

Three  days  after  that,  Jenson  called.  He  was  no 
longer  the  blithe  and  joyous  young  man  of  fashion. 
Instead,  he  seemed  prematurely  old.  His  eyes  were 
softer,  his  manner  less  careless. 


THE   TWO   MISS   MANNINGS         363 

"It  all  came  true  as  Astro  predicted,"  he  said  to 
Valeska,  talking  it  over ;  "even  to  my  never  marrying 
the  girl  I  fell  in  love  with.  Doctor  Herreschoff  told 
me  all  about  her  case,  and  asked  my  assistance  in  bring- 
ing her  back  to  her  true  self.  In  her  normal  state  she 
does  not  know  me  at  all;  in  fact,  there  is  almost  a 
dislike  of  me,  on  account  of  my  having  been  mixed  up 
with  her  secondary  self, — the  girl  who  asked  my  help. 
But  the  doctor  thinks  my  companionship  is  beneficial, 
and  I  have  consented  to  give  my  assistance.  If  she 
appears  in  her  abnormal  state,  I  shall  take  her  to  him 
and  have  her  treated  hypnotically.  Her  changes  come 
less  often,  and  he  thinks  she  will  soon  be  permanently 
normal." 

"You  do  love  her,  indeed !"  Valeska  breathed  in  ad- 
miration. 

"Enough  to  murder  her,  in  a  way  of  speaking,  for 
her  own  good !"  he  replied  grimly.  "But  didn't  I  tell 
you  I  would  do  anything  for  that  girl?  Anything! 
Could  anything  harder  be  asked  of  me  than  that  I 
should  help  myself  to  lose  her  forever?"  He  smiled 
wanly  as  he  spoke. 

"Oh,  it  won't  be  lost,  that  sacrifice!"  Valeska  ex- 
claimed. "She  will  realize  what  you  have  done,  in 
time,  and  she  will — she  must  love  you  for  it !  Then  it 
will  be  she  herself,  not  a  mere  part  of  her  personality, 
but  the  whole  woman,  who  will  repay  you  with  her 
love." 

"Perhaps."  Jenson  rose  to  go,  and  stood  a  moment, 
sadly  thoughtful.  "But  somehow — confound  it,  that 
other  girl,  you  know! — she  was  the  one,  after  all — 
Well,  I've  given  my  word.  All  I  want  is  her  well- 
being.  I'm  satisfied.  Good-by !"  and  he  wrung  Vales- 


364       THE   MASTER   OF  MYSTERIES 

ka's  hand  till  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes,  though 
she  made  no  sound. 


She  came  back  into  the  great  studio  and  found  Astro 
gazing  abstractedly  out  of  the  window.  He  was  so 
lost  in  his  reverie  that  he  did  not  notice  her  approach 
till  she  had  laid  a  hand  on  his  shoulder.  Then  he 
looked  round,  startled.  His  face  changed  wonderfully 
and  became  infinitely  tender. 

"You  were  right,"  she  said  softly,  "there  are  two 
things  that  change  human  character,  love  and  sorrow. 
Our  poor  Mr.  Jenson  has  tasted  both,  I  think." 

"It  will  make  a  man  of  him,"  said  Astro.  "I  hope  it 
may  make  a  man  of  me !" 

He  walked  into  the  little  laboratory.  Into  a  Flor- 
ence flask,  filled  with  a  solution  of  lead  acetate,  he 
dropped  a  few  pieces  of  zinc.  In  an  hour  there  had 
grown  up,  exquisitely  feathery  and  foliated,  the  crys- 
talline tree  of  lead,  the  arbor  Saturnse  of  the  alchem- 
ists, potent  with  its  parable  of  life. 

Valeska  found  it  there  after  he  had  left,  looked  at  it 
a  moment,  and  bit  her  lip  in  silence.  Then,  after  a 
quick  timid  look  about,  she  took  up  the  flask  and  gave 
it  a  kiss. 


VAN  ASTEN'S  VISITOR 

"T  T  NLESS  it  stops  snowing  pretty  soon,  I  think  I'll 

\~J  not  go  to  Boston  to-night,  after  all,"  said  young 
Van  Asten,  of  the  law  firm  of  Hipp  &  Van  Asten.  He 
stood  looking  out  a  thirteenth-story  window,  late  one 
December  afternoon,  watching  the  big  storm  which 
had  increased  steadily  in  violence  since  one  o'clock. 
His  hat  was  tilted  on  the  back  of  his  head  and  his 
overcoat  collar  was  turned  up  about  his  ears.  Keen, 
quick,  and  clear-cut,  his  features  showed  handsomely 
in  profile.  He  was  the  popular  member  of  the  firm 
among  his  affluent  clientele. 

"Looks  like  a  blizzard,"  said  the  clerk,  rummaging 
in  a  pasteboard  letter-holder. 

"Sure.  The  midnight  train  is  sure  either  to  be  stalled 
or  delayed,  and  I  can  go  on  Saturday  just  as  well.  I 
don't  care  to  sit  up  for  hours  in  a  snow-bank."  Then 
he  turned  suddenly  to  the  clerk.  "Say,  has  anybody 
from  Selvig's  been  in  to-day  ?"  he  asked. 

"You  mean  about  the  Drellmont  will  case?" 

"Yes.  By  the  way  young  Drellmont  spoke  yester- 
day, I  rather  expect  he's  getting  ready  to  compromise. 
He's  a  fool  if  he  doesn't ;  and  a  bigger  fool  to  expect 
me  to  show  him  the  will,  too !" 

"Nobody's  been  in,"  said  the  clerk  laconically. 

Van  Asten  went  out  and  plowed  his  way  through 

365 


366       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

rising  drifts  to  the  subway  station.  By  six  o'clock  he 
was  at  the  Gavel  Club,  and  by  eight  had  finished  his 
dinner.  Several  games  of  pool,  a  long  talk  with  a 
visiting  Englishman,  perusal  of  the  French  comic 
papers,  and  convivial  gossip  with  late  comers  from  the 
theaters  full  of  tales  of  the  storm,  kept  him  warm  and 
cheerful  till  midnight.  Then,  as  the  clock  struck,  he 
put  on  his  things  and  went  out. 

There  were  few  abroad  at  this  hour,  and  not  a  car- 
riage or  an  automobile  in  sight.  The  street-car  lines 
had  given  up  trying  to  keep  the  tracks  clear,  and  he 
came  across  one  darkened  car  abandoned  in  the  snow. 
He  had  to  fight  his  way  home,  struggling  through 
drifts  waist  high.  It  was  deathly  quiet  except  for 
the  sound  of  the  wind. 

He  reached  his  apartment-house  at  last,  and,  stamp- 
ing and  shaking  himself,  climbed  four  flights  of  stairs, 
the  elevator  being  out  of  order.  At  his  door  he 
stopped,  surprised.  Under  the  door  there  was  a  thin 
streak  of  light. 

Van  Asten's  firm  was  still  too  young  to  enable  him 
to  live  in  the  style  he  had  been  used  to  before  going 
into  business.  His  apartment  consisted  of  only  four 
rooms, — a  large,  L-shaped  studio,  a  bedroom,  and, 
off  the  entrance  hall,  on  one  side  a  bath-room,  and  on 
the  other  a  kitchenet.  A  woman  came  in  every  morn- 
ing to  clean  up  the  place;  except  for  that,  he  was 
alone. 

He  distinctly  remembered  that  no  light  had  been 
left  burning  when  he  had  left  the  place  at  ten  o'clock 
that  morning.  What,  then,  could  the  light  mean?  No 
one  save  the  janitor  had  a  key  to  the  place.  His 
thought  went  naturally  to  burglars.  He  hesitated  for 


VAN   ASTEN'S   VISITOR  367 

some  moments,  wondering  what  to  do.  It  was  late  to 
summon  the  janitor  for  assistance,  and  he  would  ap- 
pear foolish  if  nothing  serious  had  happened.  He  de- 
termined to  investigate  alone,  and,  prepared  for  an  im- 
mediate struggle,  he  put  his  key  quietly  into  the  door 
and  turned  the  latch.  The  door  opened  without  noise, 
and  he  could  see  through  the  one  opposite  into  the 
long  studio. 

There,  a  woman  in  mink  furs  stood,  with  her  back 
to  him,  beside  the  great  table.  She  was  bending  over, 
as  if  taking  something  from  a  bag. 

The  tension  of  suspense  that  had  knotted  Van 
Asten's  muscles  and  nerves  gave  way  to  a  little  laugh. 
The  romance  of  the  encounter  amused  him  keenly, 
though  his  curiosity  was  doubly  alert.  He  took  a 
step  forward. 

At  the  sound  of  his  footsteps,  the  woman  looked 
round  quickly,  and  for  a  minute  stood  staring  at  him 
with  an  expression  of  alarm.  Her  hand  went  to  her 
heart.  She  was  a  beautiful  woman  of  twenty-three, 
dressed  with  elegance.  She  was  a  vivid  blonde,  with 
masses  of  heavy  yellow  hair,  blue  eyes  and  slender 
hands.  For  a  single  moment  she  stood  there,  immo- 
bile; then,  to  Van  Asten's  amazement,  she  ran  for- 
ward and  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck  and  pressed 
her  lips  to  his  cheek. 

"Oh,  Paul!  I'm  so  glad  you've  come!  I  didn't 
know  what  to  do !  I  was  afraid  I'd  have  to  stay  here 
all  night  alone !  Where  in  the  world  have  you  been  ?" 

Van  Asten  calmly  disentangled  himself  from  her 
embrace  and  took  another  look  at  her  face.  She  was 
blushing  violently.  "Will  you  kindly  tell  me,  first  of 
all,  who  you  are?" 


368        THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Why,  Paul!  What  in  the  world  do  you  mean?" 

"I  mean  I  haven't  the  pleasure  of  your  acquaintance, 
and  naturally  I  have  a  little  curiosity  about  a  visitor 
at  this  hour." 

For  a  second  or  two  she  gazed  at  him  steadily,  her 
lips  parted.  "Are  you  drunk,  Paul?"  she  demanded 
finally. 

"I'm  not  drunk.  I  simply  don't  know  you.  Why 
should  I?" 

"You  don't  know  your  own  sister!"  she  exclaimed 
in  a  vibrant  intense  tone.  Then  she  took  a  backward 
step,  as  if  she  feared  him. 

"My  sister  is  in  Boston."  He  stared  at  her  with  a 
frown  and  folded  his  arms.  "What's  your  little  game, 
anyway  ?" 

"You  don't  know  your  own  sister!"  she  repeated 
helplessly.  Then  she  staggered  back  and  sunk  into 
a  chair,  hiding  her  face  in  her  hands,  and  began  to 
weep. 

"You  are  not  my  sister,  and  you  know  it  as  well  as 
I  do!  What  do  you  want  here,  anyway?"  he  de- 
manded, still  standing,  staring  at  her. 

"Why,  I  want  to  stay  here,  of  course!  I've  just 
come  from  Boston  to  visit  you!"  She  suddenly 
sprang  up.  "The  idea!  It's  a  stupid  practical  joke 
you're  playing  on  me,  of  course.  Come,  Paul,  drop  it, 
please !  I'm  tired,  and  want  to  go  to  bed.  Where  are 
you  going  to  put  me?" 

"I'm  going  to  put  you  outdoors !"  he  retorted. 

"In  this  awful  blizzard  ?"  she  demanded.  She  smiled 
sadly  through  her  tears.  The  effect  was  really  daz- 
zling ;  but  Van  Asten  kept  his  head. 

He  stopped  and  reflected  for  a  few  moments.    Then, 


You   don't  know  your  own   sister?"   she   exclaimed. 


VAN   ASTEN'S   VISITOR  369 

without  taking  his  eyes  from  her,  he  took  off  his  hat 
and  overcoat,  tossed  them  aside,  and  sat  down.  He 
tried  hard  to  appear  calm. 

"Now,"  he  continued,  "I  insist  that  you  drop  this 
masquerade  and  tell  me  immediately  who  you  are  and 
how  you  came  here.  You're  either  crazy,  or  it's  some 
sort  of  blackmailing  game.  If  you  know  anything 
about  my  sister,  you  know  you  don't  in  the  least  re- 
semble her;  and  if  you  know  anything  about  me,  you 
know  I  haven't  any  money.  So,  out  with  it,  quick !" 

"I've  told  you!"  she  said,  and  loosed  another  pa- 
thetic smile  at  him. 

He  frowned  impatiently.   "Then  you  are  crazy !" 

"No,  I'm  afraid  you  are !" 

The  deadlock  continued  for  some  minutes  before 
either  spoke  again.  Then  he  began  more  quietly.  "I 
don't  know  what's  the  matter  with  you.  It's  too  much 
for  me.  But,  of  course,  I  can't  let  you  stay  here. 
Neither  can  I  put  you  out  into  this  storm.  The  only 
thing  I  can  think  of  is  to  telephone  to  some  one  to 
come  here.  But  no  woman  could  get  here  to-night, 
even  if  she  should  be  willing  to.  I  confess  I  don't 
know  what  to  do  with  you." 

"It's  perfectly  all  right,"  she  answered  sweetly.  "I'm 
your  sister,  and  surely  you  should  be  willing  to  let 
me  have  your  room  for  to-night.  You  can  sleep  on 
that  big  couch  round  the  corner  of  the  studio,  and 
you'll  be  sober  in  the  morning.  When  you  wake  up, 
you'll  probably  recognize  me.  I  won't  be  hard  on  you, 
my  dear.  Only,  really,  you  ought  to  be  careful  what 
you  drink."  She  rose,  walked  over  to  him,  and  patted 
jhis  head. 

He  jumped  up  abruptly  and  walked  away,  opened 


370        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

his  bedroom  door,  and  stood  there  for  a  moment. 
"Come  in  here!"  he  commanded. 

"All  right,  Paul!"  she  answered  with  extravagant 
humility,  and,  casting  down  her  eyes,  walked  into  the 
room.  Just  before  she  closed  the  door  she  came  near 
him  again. 

"Aren't  you  going  to  kiss  me  good  night,  Paul, 
dear?"  she  asked. 

Without  answering  her  he  pulled  the  door  to,  and 
heard  her  swiftly  lock  it  on  the  inside.  Then,  still 
frowning,  he  walked  up  and  down  the  long  studio  for 
ten  minutes.  Once  or  twice  he  stopped  outside  the 
door  to  listen,  but  heard  nothing.  Later  she  called  out 
"Good  night,  Paul!"  to  him  in  blithe  accents.  He 
bit  his  lip  and  resumed  his  promenade,  more  worried 
than  ever.  The  thing  was  uncanny.  He  no  longer 
accepted  the  situation  as  romantic;  he  felt  decidedly 
uncomfortable  and  embarrassed.  Some  one  was  mak- 
ing a  fool  of  him,  or  worse. 

Suddenly  a  thought  came  to  him,  and  he  went  to 
the  telephone  and  spoke  as  low  as  possible,  "Madison, 


For  fully  three  minutes  he  waited  without  receiving 
a  reply. 

"Madison  5555  doesn't  answer/'  came  the  word  at 
last. 

"Ring  'em  up  again  !"    He  spoke  a  bit  more  loudly. 

In  two  minutes  more  he  heard,  "Hello!" 

"Is  this  Astro?" 

"Yes.    What  the  deuce—" 

"Wait  a  minute  and  I'll  explain." 

"Well,  hurry  up  !    You've  got  me  up  out  of  bed." 

"I'm  Paul  Van  Asten,  and  am  at  my  apartment  at 


VAN   ASTEN'S   VISITOR  371 

the  Elton,  444  West  Twenty-first  Street.  I've  just 
come  home  and  found  a  strange  woman  in  my  place. 
She  says  she's  my  sister.  Pretty  and  all  that,  well 
dressed,  and  not  otherwise  obviously  mad.  But  she 
worries  me.  I  can't  put  her  out;  and  she  won't  go, 
anyway.  What'll  I  do?  Could  you  possibly  come 
over  here?  It's  mighty  embarrassing." 

There  was  a  pause,  then  this  inquiry,  "Did  you  find 
her  before  she  saw  you  ?" 

"Yes,  opened  the  door  and  there  she  was." 

"What  was  she  doing?" 

"Standing  up,  looking  into  a  bag,  or  something." 

"Dressed  for  the  street?" 

"Yes,  it  looked  as  if  she  had  just  come  in." 

"Did  you  say  how  long  she  had  been  there  ?" 

"I  think  she  did  say  she'd  waited  some  time." 

"Where  is  she  now?" 

"Locked  in  my  bedroom." 

"Good.  I'll  come  right  over.  I  can't  get  a  cab  in 
this  blizzard ;  so  it  may  take  half  or  three  quarters  of 
an  hour." 

"All  right.  But  for  heaven's  sake,  hurry!  I  don't 
know  what  she'll  do  next !" 

"Oh,  wait.    Describe  her,  please!" 

"A  blonde,  with  yellow  hair,  and  lots  of  it.  Rather 
small,  with  blue  eyes.  Mink  stole  and  muff." 

"All  right.    Good-by.    I'll  hurry." 

Van  Asten  hung  up  the  receiver  with  a  sigh  of  re- 
lief. He  had  heard  much  of  Astro  the  Seer  and  his 
marvelous  solution  of  mysteries,  but  the  young  lawyer 
did  not  place  much  faith  in  these  sensational  tales. 
Astro  was,  however,  a  close  student  of  human  nature, 
and,  if  not  intuitive,  at  least  shrewd,  and  his  knowl- 


372       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

edge  of  society,  and  his  willingness  to  undertake  any 
case,  however  delicate,  made  him  a  desirable  compan- 
ion in  so  embarrassing  a  crisis. 

Van  Asten  threw  himself  into  a  chair  commanding 
a  view  of  the  bedroom  door  and  took  up  a  book.  No 
sound  came  from  his  chamber.  From  all  that  could 
be  gathered,  his  erratic  visitor  had  gone  to  bed  and 
to  sleep.  Now  that  he  was  sure  of  a  tactful  and  clever 
companion,  he  rather  looked  forward  to  seeing  the  girl 
again.  He  could  at  last  permit  his  imagination  to  play 
with  the  situation.  It  might  be,  after  all,  a  romance — 
who  could  tell  ?  The  girl  was  pretty  and  cultured.  No 
great  scandal  could  ensue  with  two  men  there;  and 
somehow,  with  his  luck  or  his  astuteness,  Astro  would 
bring  the  affair  to  a  pleasant  solution.  A  half-hour 
went  by.  Van  Asten  yawned,  read  a  little,  and  again 
fell  into  a  reverie.  It  was  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
before  the  electric  bell  sounded.  Van  Asten  ran  to 
the  door,  threw  it  open,  and  Astro,  covered  with  snow, 
picturesque  in  slouch  hat  and  Inverness  cape,  entered. 

"Well,"  he  said  amusedly,  stamping  his  feet,  "when 
did  she  leave?" 

"She  didn't !"  said  Van  Asten.  "She's  in  that  room 
now." 

"Oh,  didn't  she?"  Astro  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
walked  toward  the  bedroom  door.  "Well,  let's  see 
her." 

"But,  heavens!  you  mustn't  open  that  door!  She's 
probably  in  bed  and  asleep!  And  besides,  the  door's 
locked." 

"So  it  is,"  said  Astro,  trying  the  handle.  "I  shall 
have  to  ask  you  for  a  button-hook." 

"I  haven't  any  except  one  in  that  room." 


VAN   ASTEN'S   VISITOR  373 

Astro  reflected  a  moment.  Then  he  asked,  "Have 
you  any  canned  goods  in  your  larder?" 

"I  have  some  canned  chicken,  I  believe.    Why?" 

"And  a  gas-stove,  I  presume  ?" 

"Yes."  Van  Asten  looked  puzzled,  but  led  the  way 
to  the  kitchenet.  He  took  down  a  tin  of  chicken  and 
handed  it  to  the  Seer. 

Astro  removed  the  key  fastened  to  the  top  for  the 
purpose  of  opening  the  tin,  then  went  to  the  stove  and 
lighted  a  burner.  He  heated  the  split  wire  till  it  was 
red-hot;  then,  taking  a  pair  of  small  pliers  from  his 
pocket,  bent  the  end  into  a  right  angle.  Returning  to 
the  chamber  door,  he  inserted  this  rough  skeleton  key 
into  the  lock. 

"I'll  take  the  responsibility  of  awakening  or  disturb* 
ing  your  visitor,"  he  said,  smiling  at  Van  Asten.  "You 
must  give  me  full  authority  to  do  what  I  please." 

As  he  spoke  he  was  trying  the  lock.  After  some 
unsuccessful  attempts,  the  bolt  shot  back.  He  turned 
the  handle  and  threw  open  the  door.  "Light  up !"  hr 
commanded  sharply. 

Van  Asten,  more  embarrassed  than  ever,  stepped 
to  the  switch  on  the  wall,  and  the  room  was  imme- 
diately illuminated.  Then,  staring  about  him,  and 
finally  at  Astro,  he  stammered,  "By  Jove!  She  has 
gone,  hasn't  she  ?" 

"Of  course.  You  didn't  really  expect  her  to  spend 
the  night,  did  you  ?" 

"Well,  that's  what  she  said  she  was  going  to  do. 
I'm  glad  she  didn't,  I  confess.  Unless — "  then  he 
stopped  suddenly.  "By  Jove !"  he  ejaculated.  "Could 
she  have  been  a  burglar?"  His  eyes  roved  round  the 
room  in  trace  of  corroboration  of  his  surmise,  and  fell 


374       THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

upon  a  partly  raised  window  which  gave  on  an  inner 
court,  or  air-shaft. 

"Could  she  have  escaped  that  way  ?"  He  ran  to  the 
window  and  threw  up  the  sash. 

As  he  did  so,  Astro  stooped  to  the  floor  and  picked 
up  a  hairpin,  glanced  at  it,  and  put  it  into  his  pocket. 
It  was  of  silver,  fully  six  inches  long,  evidently  spe- 
cially made  for  a  woman  with  an  immense  mass  of 
hair.  He  said  nothing  of  his  discovery,  however,  but 
followed  Van  Asten  to  the  window. 

"She  could  hardly  have  got  out  that  way,"  said  the 
young  lawyer. 

"It's  unlikely,"  Astro  assented ;  "but  I  see  you  have 
an  electric  reading  lamp.  I  wonder  if  it  will  reach  to 
the  window?" 

He  took  it  from  the  table,  and,  finding  that  the  wire 
was  long  enough;  held  it  above  his  head  outside  the 
window  and  looked  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  court. 

"I  don't  see  her,"  Van  Asten  laughed. 

If  Astro  saw  anything,  he  did  not  mention  it.  He 
drew  himself  in,  replaced  the  lamp,  and  pulled  down 
the  sash. 

"I  didn't  expect  to  see  her  hanging  by  the  hair  of 
her  head,  like  Absalom,"  he  remarked.  "But,"  he  added 
casually,  "what  kind  of  hair  did  she  have?" 

"Yellow  hair,  pounds  and  pounds  of  it,  apparently, 
though  you  never  can  tell  nowadays,  when  all  the 
women  are  wearing  rats." 

"Where  is  your  telephone  ?"  the  Seer  inquired. 

Van  Asten  led  the  way  back  into  the  studio.  Around 
the  corner,  out  of  sight  of  the  chamber  door,  the  re- 
ceiver stood  on  his  library  table. 

"She  got  out  while  you  were  talking  to  me,"  said 


VAN    ASTEN'S    VISITOR  375 

Astro.  "That's  plain  enough.  Now,  the  question  is, 
what's  missing?" 

"By  Jove !  That's  true !  But  I  didn't  notice  any  dis- 
turbance. Hold  on !"  he  stood  for  a  moment  with  his 
eyes  fixed.  "The  Drellmont  will!  Good  lord!  if  she 
came  for  that — "  Instead  of  finishing,  he  ran  back  to 
the  chamber.  Astro  followed  him  quickly  enough  to 
find  him  at  a  writing-desk  there,  rummaging  through 
the  pigeonholes. 

He  stopped  and  exclaimed,  "Thank  the  Lord!"  and 
held  up  a  package  of  papers.  "Here  it  is,  safe  enough. 
It  wasn't  that  she  wanted,  at  any  rate." 

"What  about  the  Drellmont  will?"  Astro  inquired 
casually. 

"Why,  I  took  it  home  yesterday  to  study  on  the  case 
with  it.  You've  heard  of  Albert  Drellmont,  of 
course  ?" 

"The  millionaire?    Yes." 

"Then  you  know  he  had  a  scapegrace  son,  who  went 
to  the  bad  a  year  or  so  ago.  Well,  this  is  the  will  dis- 
inheriting him.  Old  Drellmont  had  made  another 
only  a  few  months  before,  leaving  his  son  the  bulk  of 
his  property.  Young  Drellmont  has  been  trying  to 
bluff  his  way  into  the  fortune,  by  claiming  his  legacy 
under  the  old  will  and  asserting  this  to  be  a  forgery. 
This,  you  see,  is  in  favor  of  his  half-sister."  He 
handed  the  document  to  Astro,  who  took  it  and  ex- 
amined it  carefully. 

"Drellmont's  attorneys  are  a  sharp  lot;  but  Drell- 
mont himself  hasn't  a  cent,  and  I  don't  see  how  he  can 
afford  to  fight  the  case,  considering  what  little  show  he 
has  against  his  sister.  In  fact,  I've  been  expecting  an 
offer  to  compromise.  He  came  in  this  morning  and 


376       THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

wanted  to  see  our  will.  Of  course  I  shouldn't  have 
showed  it  to  him  if  I  had  had  it ;  but  I  told  him  it  was 
here.  If  it  had  been  stolen,  we  should  have  been  up 
against  it,  though  we  should  have  won  in  the  end." 

"What  was  the  date  of  the  former  will  ?" 

"January  i,  1908." 

"And  this,  I  see,  is  just  six  months  later,  July  i, 
1908." 

"Yes,  it  was  made  after  Drellmont,  junior,  had  that 
affair  with  a  chorus  girl.  The  papers  were  full  of  it. 
After  that,  he  went  West  and  got  into  more  scrapes.  I 
understand  the  police  are  after  him  now.  My  client, 
Miss  Drellmont,  has  wanted  to  compromise,  just  to 
get  rid  of  him,  but  I  wouldn't  have  it." 

"I  see."  Astro  spoke  abstractedly  as  he  handed 
back  the  document.  He  was  sitting  near  the  secretary, 
and,  as  he  listened,  had  picked  up  a  red  blotter  that 
lay  on  the  desk.  As  he  rose,  he  kept  it  in  his  hand, 
and  when  Van  Asten  put  the  will  away  Astro  put  the 
blotter  into  his  pocket. 

There  was  a  strange  light  in  his  eyes,  however,  as 
he  gazed  at  the  young  lawyer.  It  was  as  if  he  were 
analyzing  him,  deliberately,  scientifically,  reading  his 
character  in  his  features,  one  by  one,  weighing  his  soul 
in  the  balance. 

"Well,  I  think  I  can't  do  anything  more  now,"  he 
said,  finally.  "I'll  try  to  get  home  before  the  drifts 
have  got  any  higher.  If  you  miss  anything  else,  tele- 
phone me.  You  might  inquire  of  the  janitor,  too.  He 
may  know  how  your  visitor  got  in." 

"What  do  you  think  she  wanted,  anyway?"  said 
Van  Asten. 

"Ah !   I  can't  tell  you  that— yet.   But  there  are  evil 


VAN   ASTEN'S   VISITOR  377 

vibrations  here.  I  feel  wrong.  She  wanted  no  good, 
you  may  be  sure  of  that.  I  shall  try  the  crystals  and 
go  into  a  psychic  trance." 

Van  Asten  smiled.   It  did  not  escape  Astro's  notice. 

"Having  engaged  my  services/'  he  said  calmly,  "I 
shall  expect  you  to  follow  my  instructions  to  the  let- 
ter. I  can  help  you;  and  I  think  you  need  more  aid 
than  you  imagine." 

Van  Asten  immediately  became  serious.  "I  believe 
you  do  know  something,"  he  said.  "Well,  I  don't  care 
how  you  find  out.  I  know  I  can  trust  you.  Let  me 
know  what  to  do,  and  I'll  do  it." 

As  Astro  opened  the  outer  door  of  the  Elton,  the 
drifts  were  two  feet  high.  The  snow  drove  in  gusts 
of  fine  icy  particles,  and  it  was  bitterly  cold.  The 
flakes  came  in  squalls,  driving  clouds  before  them ;  one 
could  scarcely  stand  upright  against  the  blast.  He  bent 
his  head  forward  and  fought  his  way.  Before  he  had 
gone  a  block  his  hands  and  ears  were  almost  frozen. 
Another  block,  and  he  sought  refuge  in  a  doorway  to 
beat  himself,  rub  his  -ears,  and  stamp  a  little  warmth 
into  his  feet. 

There  was  a  drift  filling  a  corner  of  the  doorway, 
and,  as  his  eyes  fell  on  it,  he  saw  a  black  patch  be- 
neath. Brushing  the  snow  aside,  he  came  upon  a 
woman,  unconscious  with  the  cold.  She  was  dressed 
in  black,  and  wore  mink  furs.  Her  heavy  yellow  hair 
was  fastened  with  long  silver  pins. 

Bending  over  her,  he  tried  to  restore  her  to  con- 
sciousness ;  but  it  was  impossible.  Her  hands  and  feet 
were  indubitably  frozen,  and  she  had  succumbed  to 
the  exposure.  The  covering  of  snow  had,  in  a  way, 
protected  her;  but  the  case  was  desperate.  What  was 


378        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

there  to  do?  Outside  in  the  street  there  were  no  signs 
of  life.  Had  the  doorway  been  that  of  a  residence,  he 
might  have  rung  the  bell  and  appealed  to  the  mercy  of 
the  residents.  But  it  was  the  entrance  to  a  small  office 
building,  and  no  one  would  be  in  at  this  hour.  Astro 
was  ten  blocks  from  his  studio.  He  had  reasons  for 
wanting  to  be  alone  with  the  girl.  A  little  scrap  of 
mink  fur  he  had  found  caught  in  the  outer  doorway 
of  the  Elton  fitted  suspiciously  with  a  torn  place  at  the 
end  of  this  woman's  astrakhan  stole,  and  her  hairpins 
matched  the  one  in  his  pocket. 

A  gray  splotch  came  into  view  down  the  avenue.  It 
was  a  two-horse  carriage,  laboring  painfully  into  the 
teeth  of  the  blizzard.  As  it  approached,  Astro  ran  out 
and  bribed  or  bullied  the  driver  into  taking  him  and 
the  woman  to  Thirty-fourth  Street.  It  took  half  an 
hour,  and  more  than  once  the  man  on  the  box  stopped 
and  protested  that  he  would  have  to  give  it  up.  But 
they  finally  arrived  at  number  234,  and,  taking  the  in- 
animate form  in  his  arms,  Astro  carried  her  up-stairs. 

His  first  action,  after  depositing  her  on  a  sofa,  was 
to  ring  for  a  doctor.  His  next  was  to  telephone  to  Va- 
leska,  and  urge  her  to  attempt  to  come  immediately  to 
the  studio.  Then  he  returned  to  his  charge. 

She  still  gripped  a  leather  bag  in  her  frozen  hands. 
Astro  separated  the  stiffened  fingers  and  put  the  bag 
away.  Next,  he  got  brandy  and  forced  it  down  her 
throat.  Wrapping  her  in  warm  blankets,  he  chafed 
her  hands  with  snow  till  the  doctor  arrived.  Leaving 
the  two  alone  for  a  few  minutes,  he  opened  the  bag 
quickly.  It  contained  several  bills,  a  bunch  of  keys,  a 
handkerchief,  and  a  penciled  note.  This  he  opened. 


VAN   ASTEN'S   VISITOR  379 

The  note-paper  was  imprinted  with  the  name  of  the 
Swastika  Hotel.   It  read  as  follows: 

k 

"The  job  must  be  done  to-night,  or  it  will  be  too 
late.  S.  will  give  up  to-morrow.  Do  it  if  you  can, 
let  me  know  immediately  here.  P.  D." 

Valeska,  living  only  two  blocks  away,  succeeded  in 
arriving  at  the  studio  by  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
By  the  time  she  came  in  Astro  and  the  doctor  had  re- 
stored their  patient  to  consciousness  and  the  use  of 
her  limbs.  The  woman  was,  however,  weak  and  suf- 
fering. Rest  was  enjoined,  and  the  doctor  left  definite 
instructions  that  she  was  to  remain  in  bed  all  day. 


"What  I  want  you  to  do,  Valeska,"  said  Astro,  "is, 
when  this  lady  awakens,  to  talk  with  her  long  enough 
to  study  her  voice.  By  nine  o'clock  you  must  be  able 
to  give  an  imitation  of  it  that  will  pass  over  a  telephone 
wire  without  being  detected." 

He  proceeded,  then,  to  narrate  the  whole  story  of  the 
night,  from  the  time  he  was  awakened  by  Van  Asten's 
message.  Valeska  listened  attentively. 

"You  say  that  when  you  looked  down  the  air-shaft 
you  saw  a  broken  bottle  at  the  bottom  ?" 

"Yes,  almost  hidden  by  the  snow.  And  here's  an- 
other clue."  He  took  the  blotter  from  his  pocket  and 
passed  it  to  her.  "Do  you  see  anything  significant  in 
that?"  he  asked. 

"There's  a  spot  where  the  ink  that  was  on  it  has 
disappeared,"  she  said.  "But  I  don't  quite  see  what 
that  means.  You  say  the  date  of  his  will  was  all  right, 


380       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

wasn't  it?  I  thought  first  that  she  might  have  gone 
down  there  to  alter  the  date,  and  so  make  the  old  will 
valid/' 

"But,  in  that  case,  the  marks  of  the  erasure,  even  if 
done  with  Labarraque's  solution  or  any  of  the  ready- 
made  ink  destroyers,  would  have  proved  that  it  had 
been  tampered  with." 

"That's  so.  Well,  I'll  think  it  over.  But  do  you 
know  who  this  girl  is,  yet?" 

"She's  a  friend  of  Paul  Drellmont's,  and  no  doubt 
his  tool."  Astro  passed  over  the  note  he  had  found 
in  the  bag. 

"I  see.  I'm  to  report  to  him,  then,  over  the  tele- 
phone, in  her  voice,  that  the  thing  has  been  done  ?" 

"By  no  means.   You're  to  tell  him  that  you  failed." 

Valeska  bent  her  brows  over  the  riddle.  "Well,  I 
hope  I  won't  have  to  go  into  details." 

"No,  he'll  be  satisfied.  You  see,  this  is  his  last  card. 
If  she  failed,  he'll  not  care  to  fight  the  will  case  any 
longer.  He  knows  he's  beaten,  and  he  can't  pay  his 
lawyers.  He'll  offer  to  compromise,  and  I  shall  tell 
Van  Asten  to  make  a  reasonable  offer." 

"The  girl  failed,  then,  in  whatever  she  went  for?" 

"No,  she  succeeded." 

"Then  won't  Drellmont  find  out  about  it,  and  make 
more  trouble?" 

"I  hope  he'll  leave  immediately.  If  he  accepts  a  sum 
of  money  to  compromise,  I  think  he'll  quit  New  York 
without  delay." 

"Oh !  And  you  expect  to  keep  this  girl  hidden  away 
from  him  till  then  ?" 

"Exactly.  This  blizzard  was  a  godsend  for  Van 
Asten  and  Miss  Drellmont." 


VAN   ASTEN'S   VISITOR  381 

"Well,  I  don't  understand  yet  what  she  went  to  his 
rooms  for,  but  I'll  do  my  part." 


It  was  just  nine  o'clock,  and  the  unknown  girl  was 
again  sleeping  quietly,  when  Valeska  rang  up  the 
Swatiska  Hotel  and  inquired  for  Drellmont.  After  a 
moment  there  was  a  reply. 

"It's  me,  Paul,"  she  said.  "I'm  awfully  sorry;  but 
I  couldn't  get  down  there  and  do  the  business."  Va- 
leska dropped  the  receiver  with  a  shocked  expression. 

"What  did  he  say?"  Astro  asked. 

"I  refuse  to  tell  you."  Valeska  put  up  the  instru- 
ment and  rose. 

"Didn't  he  even  ask  where  you  were?" 

"No,  indeed." 

"Then  it's  as  I  suspected.  Drellmont  has  been  play- 
ing on  this  girl ;  making  love  to  her,  probably,  in  order 
to  use  her  as  his  tool.  Now  she's  failed,  he  has  no 
further  use  for  her.  Well,  I  think  it  serves  her  right. 
Perhaps  it  will  teach  her  a  lesson.  Now,  I'll  give  my 
instructions  to  Van  Asten." 

He  rang  up  the  lawyer.  After  the  conversation,  he 
returned  to  Valeska  and  said : 

"He's  agreed  to  compromise,  if  Drellmont  calls. 
The  janitor  told  him  this  lady  presented  a  typewritten 
note,  with  his  name  forged  to  it,  inviting  her  to  wait 
in  his  apartment  for  him.  That's  how  she  got  in  there. 
I  suggested  that  he  hint  at  prosecuting  Drellmont  for 
blackmail,  on  the  strength  of  that  episode,  and  he  has 
agreed  to  suggest  to  the  rascal  that  he  leave  town  im- 
mediately as  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  compromise. 
But  it's  a  ticklish  game,  altogether.  I  don't  know 


382        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

whether  I  ought  to  explain  everything  to  Van  Asten 
or  not." 

"Why,  I  should  think  he  ought  to  know,"  said  Va- 
leska. 

"Why,  then,  you  haven't  solved  the  mystery  of  the 
lady's  errand?"  he  asked. 

"I  confess  I  haven't." 

"Well,  then,  I'll  tell  you.  It's  so  ingenious  and  sim- 
ple that  you'd  probably  never  get  it  alone.  The  fact 
is,  that  she  went  down  there  to  erase  the  date  on  the 
will.  This  she  did,  and  then  wrote  in  the  same  date, — 
July  i,  1908.  I  saw  it  immediately  I  cast  my  eyes  on 
the  document.  When  I  saw  the  broken  bottle  at  the 
foot  of  the  air-shaft,  I  suspected  that  she  had  thrown 
away  some  damaging  evidence.  When  I  noticed  that 
spot  on  the  blotter  where  the  ink  had  been  bleached,  I 
was  sure  of  it.  The  only  question,  then,  was  whether 
Van  Asten  himself  hadn't  taken  the  paper  home  to 
tamper  with  it.  But,  as  the  date  was  right,  of  course, 
he  couldn't  have." 

"What  was  her,  or  rather  Drellmont's,  reason  for 
putting  in  the  same  date,  then?" 

"Why,  so  that  when  the  will  was  probated  they 
could  call  attention  to  the  erasure  and  subsequent  re- 
writing. That  would  cast  suspicion  on  the  whole  docu- 
ment and  no  doubt  the  first  will  would  be  accepted  as 
legal." 

"Oh,  it  was  simple,  wasn't  it?  But  you  didn't  tell 
Van  Asten?" 

"No,  not  yet.  I  want  him  to  offer  the  will  for  pro- 
bate as  it  is.  You  see,  it  is  undoubtedly  genuine ;  but 
if  it  had  been  tampered  with,  he'd  never  be  willing  to 
handle  it.  I  got  that  from  my  study  of  his  character. 


VAN  ASTEN'S   VISITOR  383 

I'm  going  to  take  the  responsibility  on  myself.  If 
Drellmont  leaves  town  before  he  can  communicate 
with  this  lady,  whoever  she  is,  he'll  never  know  that 
she  succeeded,  and  Van  Asten  and  Miss  Drellmont  will 
be  safe.  When  this  blond  lady  finds  that  she  has  been 
abandoned,  she  won't  care  to  play  into  his  hands,  es- 
pecially as  it  may  get  her  into  trouble  herself." 

Late  that  afternoon,  as  Valeska  was  busy  in  the  lab- 
oratory off  the  studio,  she  saw  the  girl  pass  swiftly 
toward  the  waiting-room.  Valeska  waited  and  listened. 

"Give  me  Madison  Square  2615  .  .  .  Hello!  Is 
Mr.  Drellmont  there?  .  .  .  He's  left?  Why  that's 
impossible!  .  .  .  This  afternoon ?  Where  did  he  go? 
.  .  .  No  address?  .  .  .  Are  you  sure?"  The  re- 
ceiver went  on  the  hook  with  a  snap. 

Valeska  waited  to  see  what  she  would  do  next.  A 
few  minutes  later  she  stole  to  the  portieres  and  looked 
into  the  waiting-room.  No  one  was  there ! 

"Well,"  said  Astro,  "you  should  have  followed  her. 
That  girl  was  clever.  Any  one  who  could  act  as  well 
as  she  did  with  Van  Asten  would  be  a  valuable  assist- 
ant. I  might  have  used  her." 

Valeska's  fine  lips  curled.  "I  think  one  assistant  is 
enough  for  you,  sir !  She  was  altogether  too  blond.  I 
always  distrust  that  kind !" 

The  Seer  smiled.  "Well,  as  for  that,  I  prefer 
blondes,  myself." 

He  took  a  step  toward  her,  but  she  evaded  him,  and 
sought  refuge  in  the  office.  Not,  however,  before  she 
had  paused  in  the  doorway  to  shake  her  finger  and  ask, 
mischievously :  "Are  you  perfectly  sure  ?" 


THE  MIDDLEBURY  MURDER 

RETURNING,  late  one  night,  from  an  investiga- 
tion which  had  carried  them  down  to  the  Battery, 
Astro  the   Seer  and   Valeska   were   suddenly  nearly 
thrown  from  their  seats  by  a  sudden  stop  of  the  green 
limousine. 

They  were  driving  along  Canal  Street,  and,  as 
the  vicinity  was  apparently  deserted,  the  Seer  of  secrets 
looked  in  surprise  from  the  window  to  see  what  was 
the  matter. 

A  police  officer  was  speaking  in  tones  of  command 
to  the  chauffeur.  Astro,  recognizing  him  as  Lieuten- 
ant McGraw,  smiled  in  relief.  The  police  officer  came 
to  the  window  with  his  hat  in  his  hand. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  but  I  recognized  your  car, 
so  I  just  ordered  your  man  to  stop.  I  wanted  to  speak 
to  you  a  moment.  Ah,  Miss  Wynne,  it's  glad  I  am  to 
see  you !" 

Valeska  gave  him  her  hand  and  a  smile. 

"I've  just  been  called  from  the  office,"  said  McGraw, 
"on  a  case  that  may  be  interesting,  as  I  know  how  you 
like  mysteries.  Perhaps  you  might  help  me  out,  even." 
And  Officer  McGraw  winked  elaborately.  "When  it 
comes  to  giving  a  crook  the  third  degree,  or  raiding  a 
joint,  I'm  there  with  the  goods ;  but  this  looks  like  a 
murder,  and  murders  are  sometimes — " 

384 


THE    MIDDLEBURY   MURDER         385 

"I  see/'  said  Astro  suavely.  "Well,  if  you  can  get 
in  here,  we'll  go  with  you.  Where  is  it  ?" 

"Just  around  the  corner,  here,  at  the  Aspenwall 
building  on  Grand  Street."  And,  after  Astro  had  given 
the  order  to  the  driver,  McGraw  went  on.  "You  see, 
the  night  watchman  has  just  telephoned  for  an  officer, 
as  something  suspicious  has  happened.  He  seemed  ex- 
cited, and  it  may  turn  out  something  doing,  or  it  may 
not." 

"Well,  I'll  be  glad  to  be  first  on  the  ground,  at  any 
rate,"  said  Astro.  "That  ought  to  make  it  easier  to 
solve,  if  it  should  happen  to  be  a  mystery." 

He  had  scarcely  finished  when  the  car  drew  up  at 
the  entrance  to  the  Aspenwall  building.  A  full-bearded 
man  in  jumper  and  overalls  was  waiting  scowling  in 
the  doorway.  He  came  immediately  forward. 

"There's  a  murder  or  a  suicide  been  committed  here, 
I'm  afraid,"  he  began;  "but  I  didn't  want  to  do  any- 
thing1 till  I  had  the  police,  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  It's 
up  on  the  tenth  story,  in  Mr.  Middlebury's  office." 

"Has  any  one  left  the  building  since  you  tele- 
phoned?" 

"No,  I  made  sure  of  that.  The  elevator  boy  thought 
he  heard  a  shot  fired,  and  I  went  around  to  all  the 
lighted  offices.  They  were  all  right  except  at  Middle- 
bury's office,  where  there  was  no  answer  when  I 
knocked.  The  door  was  locked." 

"How  many  tenants  are  in  the  building  now  ?" 

"There  have  only  been  two  or  three  here  to-night, 
and  some  went  before  this  thing  happened.  There's 
only  one  I  know  of, — Mr.  Moffett,  on  the  ninth.  I 
think  he's  there  yet.  I  spoke  to  him  a  little  while 
ago." 


386       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Better  ring  for  a  couple  more  men,  McGraw,"  said 
Astro. 

After  the  party  had  entered  the  corridor,  McGraw 
rang  up  the  office,  then  returned  to  the  elevator.  The 
boy  had  just  come  out,  and  was  standing  with  white 
scared  face  in  the  corridor.  He  was  a  thin  anemic 
youth  of  eighteen,  with  red  hair  and  roving,  pale  blue 
eyes  with  dilated  pupils. 

"Now,  young  fellow,"  said  McGraw,  "what  do  you 
know  about  this  ?" 

"Nothing,  sir.  Only,  I  thought  I  heard  a  shot  fired, 
and  I  called  Thompson." 

"You  didn't  go  up  yourself  ?" 

"No,  only  to  take  Thompson.  I  waited  in  the  car 
while  he  knocked  on  the  door." 

"Where  did  you  find  Thompson?" 

"On  the  fifth  floor.  I  went  down  to  the  boiler-room 
at  first,  thinking  he  was  there ;  then  I  tried  each  floor 
till  I  found  him." 

"What  time  did  you  hear  the  report?" 

"About  half  past  eleven  o'clock." 

"How  many  people  have  you  taken  up  on  the  ele- 
vator this  evening?" 

"Only  one  or  two.  Mr.  Moffett  went  up  to  his 
office  on  the  ninth  at  eight  o'clock  or  so — he  must  be 
there  now — Mr.  Smythe,  on  the  fourth;  but  he  left 
at  ten  o'clock,  about.  I  don't  remember  the  others." 

Astro  now  turned  to  the  night  watchman,  Thomp- 
son, a  heavy-set  hairy  man,  who  stood  with  his  mouth 
open,  listening  as  if  fascinated. 

"What  have  you  been  doing  this  evening,  Thomp- 
son?" 

"Why,  I  had  a  bite  of  lunch  in  the  boiler-room  at 


THE   MIDDLEBURY   MURDER         387 

about  eight  o'clock.  Then  at  nine  I  made  my  rounds 
to  see  if  everything  was  all  right.  I  have  to  look  for 
signs  of  fires  or  burglars  or  anything  wrong,  you 
know." 

"How  many  offices  were  lighted  up?" 
"Smythe's   and    Moffett's   and    Mr.    Middlebury's ; 
that's  all  I  remember,  sir." 

"Where  were  you  when  this  boy  called  you?" 
"On  the  stairs,  going  up  to  the  sixth  floor." 
"This  is  the  only  elevator  running  at  night?" 
"Yes,  sir.    I'm  supposed  to  keep  run  of  this  boy  and 
see  that  he  stays  till  midnight." 

At  this  moment  two  officers  appeared  at  the  entrance. 
Astro  turned  to  McGraw.  "Tell  them  to  keep  hidden 
outside,"  he  said,  "and  nab  any  one  leaving  the  build- 
ing. Now  we'll  go  up  and  see  what  has  happened." 

As  the  five  entered  the  car,  Astro,  whose  look  had 
fallen  on  the  rubber  matting  on  the  floor,  moved 
over  nearer  the  elevator  boy,  and,  pushing  him  a  lit- 
tle aside,  picked  up  a  slip  of  paper  on  which  he  had 
been  standing.  It  proved  to  be  blank;  but  the  Seer, 
after  scrutinizing  it,  put  it  away  in  his  pocketbook. 
The  boy  slammed  the  door  and  the  car  started  up  the 
shaft.  Astro  touched  the  boy's  arm. 

"Stop  at  the  ninth  floor!"  he  commanded. 
The  elevator  boy  looked  up  in  surprise;  but  pulled 
the  lever  and  threw  open  the  hall  door. 

"You  wait  here,"  said  Astro  to  Thompson  and  the 
lad.  "Come  on,  McGraw.  We'll  see  Moffett  first." 

They  walked  down  the  hall  and  around  a  corner  till 
they  came  to  a  lighted  door.  Astro,  without  knocking, 
threw  the  door  wide  open.  It  was  a  small  room,  and 
at  a  roll-top  desk  a  man  jumped  up  quickly  in  conster- 


388        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

nation.  In  one  hand  he  held  a  revolver,  in  the  other 
a  cleaning  instrument.  A  box  of  cartridges  was  open 
beside  him.  He  stared  at  his  unexpected  visitors. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Moffett,"  said  Astro.  "What 
are  you  doing  with  that  pistol  ?" 

"Why— Fm— cleaning  it,"  said  Moffett.  The  pistol 
dropped  from  his  hand  as  he  spoke,  and  he  turned 
white  at  the  scrutiny  of  his  interlocutor. 

The  Seer  gazed  for  a  moment  without  speaking  at 
the  small,  smooth-shaven,  anxious-looking  man  who 
confronted  him.  He  wore  iron  spectacles  and  was 
shabbily  dressed.  His  thin  bony  hands  trembled 
visibly. 

"Did  you  fire  that  pistol  this  evening?" 

"Why,  no — of  course  not!" 

"What  were  you  cleaning  it  for?" 

"Why — I  always  carry  it  when  I  go  home.  I  live 
out  at  Kingsbridge,  and  there  have  been  so  many 
hold-ups—" 

"Did  you  hear  a  shot  fired  in  this  building  to-night  ?" 

"Good  God,  no !"  Moffett's  alarm  increased.  He  put 
his  hand  to  his  head.  "You  don't  mean — there's  any- 
thing happened  ?"  he  faltered. 

Instead  of  answering,  Astro  walked  over,  picked  up 
the  revolver  from  the  floor,  and  examined  it.  The 
chambers  were  empty.  Next,  he  looked  at  the  box  of 
cartridges.  Five  were  missing.  Of  these,  four  were 
scattered  on  the  desk. 

"When  did  you  fire  this  gun  last?"  he  demanded. 

"Last  night— at  a  cat,"  said  Moffett. 

McGraw  laughed  aloud. 

Astro  went  to  the  window,  threw  up  the  sash,  and 
looked  out.  The  roof  of  the  adjoining  building  was 


THE    M1DDLEBURY   MURDER         389 

only  two  stories  below.     He  gave  it  a  glance,  then 
lowered  the  window  and  walked  to  the  door. 

"Will  I  bring  him  along,  sir?"  said  McGraw. 

"No,  leave  him  alone.  Mr.  MofTett,  remain  here  till 
we  come  for  you,  please."  And  with  that,  Astro  went 
out.  In  the  hall  he  turned  to  McGraw. 

"You  don't  mind  my  taking  charge  of  this?"  he 
asked. 

"You  bet  I  don't!"  McGraw  exclaimed.  "But  I 
don't  see  why  you  want  Moffett  to  make  a  get-away." 

"He  can't  get  past  the  men  down-stairs,  can  he?" 

"That's  right.  But  did  you  see  any  empty  cartridge 
shells  on  the  roof  below  ?" 

"No.  We'll  have  to  examine  the  roof  later.  Now 
we'll  go  up  to  Middlebury's  office.  We've  lost  too 
much  time  already." 

<     "Have  you  a  key  to  Middlebury's  office,  Thomp- 
son ?"  he  asked  on  reentering  the  elevator. 

"No,  sir.  Mr.  Middlebury  lost  one  of  his  office  keys 
this  week,  and  was  given  the  duplicate  the  superin- 
tendent had  till  another  one  could  be  made  for  him." 

"What  did  he  need  two  for?" 

"One  was  for  his  stenographer,  I  believe." 

"Oh,  he  had  a  typewriter,  then?"  said  Astro. 

The  elevator  boy  interrupted.  "He  had  one,  but  she 
left  to-day." 

"How  do  you  know  that?"  Astro  turned  to  the 
youth  with  a  keen  gaze. 

The  elevator  boy  cowered  under  his  inspection. 
"Why— she  told  me  so,  that's  all." 

The  elevator  had  reached  the  tenth  floor  and  stopped. 
The  boy  threw  open  the  door  and  the  party  stepped 
out. 


390       THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

Almost  opposite  the  elevator,  across  a  narrow  hall, 
appeared  a  lighted  door,  on  which  was  painted  the 
legend:  "John  Middlebury,  Architect  and  Landscape 
Gardener."  Above  it  was  a  transom  tilted  half  open. 

"Give  me  a  leg  up,"  said  Astro,  and,  placing  his 
foot  in  Thompson's  big  hand,  he  raised  himself  to  the 
height  of  the  lintel  and  looked  in.  He  stayed  there 
for  a  few  minutes,  then  dropped  to  the  floor  again. 

"Well,  it's  a  murder,  fast  enough,"  he  said  to  Mc- 
Graw. 

"We'll  have  to  bust  down  the  door,  then,"  said  the 
officer. 

"Unless  the  boy  can  crawl  through  the  transom." 

"No,  I  can't !"  exclaimed  the  boy.    "It's  too  narrow." 

"You  try  it,"  said  Astro. 

"I  don't  dare  to !"  the  lad  whimpered. 

McGraw  laid  a  heavy  hand  on  his  shoulder.  "Now, 
then,  my  son,  go  to  it,  and  no  talk!" 

With  that,  he  lifted  the  lad  bodily  to  a  handhold 
on  the  lintel.  "Hurry  up,  now,  Dennis !"  said  Thomp- 
son gruffly,  and  the  boy  struggled  through  the  open- 
ing, pulled  his  legs  inside,  and  dropped  to  the  floor. 
In  a  moment  he  opened  the  door  and  stood  as  white 
as  paper,  trembling  in  horror. 

Beyond  a  counter  that  shut  off  the  front  part  of  the 
office,  below  a  large  drafting  table  in  the  center  of 
the  room,  the  body  of  a  man  lay  on  its  back,  the  arms 
outstretched  on  the  floor.  The  eyes  were  shut,  and 
one  hand  still  held  a  small  black  rubber  drawing  tri- 
angle. The  counter  shut  off  a  view  of  his  feet.  He 
was  a  man  of  some  thirty  years,  with  black  mustache 
and  sparse  beard,  a  handsome  picturesque  type  of 
slightly  foreign  appearance. 


THE   MIDDLEBURY   MURDER         391 

Astro  passed  through  the  little  door  in  the  counter 
with  McGraw,  and  together  they  bent  over  the  body. 

"There's  no  blood  at  all !"  said  the  officer  in  amaze- 
ment. "What  is  it,  anyway?  He  can't  be  shot!" 

Astro  made  no  reply  for  some  moments,  but  exam- 
ined every  detail  of  the  body  with  care.  At  last  he 
rose.  "Thompson,"  he  said,  "have  you  a  gun?" 

"Why,  no  sir!"  Thompson  spoke  anxiously.  "At 
least,  I  ain't  got  any  with  me.  I  got  one  down  in  the 
boiler-room,  though.  I  don't  carry  it  all  the  time,  sir." 

"Go  down  and  get  it !"  Astro  spoke  sharply.  "Bring 
it  to  me !  No,  Dennis,  you  stay  right  here.  Thompson, 
take  the  elevator  down  yourself.  Tell  the  officers  to 
telephone  for  a  doctor." 

The  watchman  left  without  a  word,  shaking  his 
head.  The  elevator  boy  sat  down  on  a  chair  outside 
the  counter  and  gazed  dismally  into  the  corridor. 

Astro  stood  for  several  minutes  silently  looking 
about  the  room.  His  eyes  went  from  the  drawing- 
board,  where  the  perspective  view  of  a  country  resi- 
dence had  been  roughly  sketched  in  pencil,  past  the 
ground-glass  windows  which  admitted  light  from  a 
side  hall  opposite  the  elevator,  to  the  doors  of  an  inner 
room.  Valeska's  eyes  followed  his  in  careful  search 
of  the  room. 

McGraw  still  stared  in  amazement  at  the  body,  look- 
ing for  some  sign  of  a  bullet  wound,  but  without  suc- 
cess. At  last  he  arose,  and  gazed  long  at  Astro. 

"He's  dead,  all  right,"  he  said  finally ;  "but  hanged 
if  I  can  see  what  killed  him!  Could  it  be  suicide? 
Perhaps  we  can  find  some  poison,  somewhere.  Look 
in  the  dressing-room." 

"He's   shot,"   said  Astro,   without  looking  at  the 


392       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

corpse.  "Valeska,  see  what  you  can  find  in  the  private 
office  in  there.'5  He  pointed  to  the  inner  door. 

As  she  started  to  go  in  through  the  door  in  the 
counter,  her  foot  struck  a  strip  of  cardboard  that  shot 
in  along  the  floor.  Astro  glanced  at  it,  then  stooped 
and  picked  up  an  advertising  calendar.  He  walked  to 
the  waiting  space  outside  and  began  to  examine  the 
wall  carefully.  The  elevator  boy's  eyes  followed  him 
listlessly.  The  Seer  stopped  near  the  hall  door  and 
fixed  his  eyes  on  a  small  hole  in  the  woodwork.  Then 
he  went  back  to  the  drawing-board  and  examined  it 
attentively.  There  was  a  large  black  blot  on  it  where 
evidently  a  bottle  of  India  ink  had  been  spilled.  The 
paper  was  fastened  down  with  thumb-tacks  in  the  form 
of  wire  spirals.  He  drew  one  out  and  put  it  into  his 
pocket. 

Suddenly  Valeska  called  out,  "There  has  been  a 
woman  in  here  to-night !" 

Astro  and  McGraw  hurried  into  the  private  office. 
Valeska  was  standing  by  a  small  set  bowl  in  the  cor- 
ner and  held  up  a  tiny  gold  ring. 

"Do  you  see?"  she  exclaimed.  "The  bowl  is  full 
of  soap-suds  and  dirty  water.  She  must  have  left  in  a 
hurry  without  stopping  for  her  ring." 

"Ah,  it  was  a  woman  shot  him,"  said  McGraw. 

Astro  examined  it,  took  a  long  look  about  the  room, 
tried  the  private  door  that  led  to  the  branch  hall,  and 
then  went  back  to  the  architect's  office.  "What  was 
Mr.  Middlebury's  stenographer's  name?"  he  asked  of 
the  elevator  boy. 

"Miss  Wilson."  Dennis  looked  up  with  a  look  of 
alarm. 

"What  time  did  you  take  her  up  in  the  elevator  ?" 


THE   MIDDLEBURY   MURDER         393 

"I  didn't  take  her  up  at  all,  to-night!"  was  the  re- 
sponse ;  but  his  eye  wandered  away  from  his  examiner. 

"I  took  her  down,  though,  when  she  left  here,  at  five 
o'clock." 

"It's  queer  she  should  leave  her  ring  here,  then,  and 
dirty  water  in  the  bowl." 

"Perhaps  it  was  another  woman,"  the  boy  ventured. 

"Perhaps  it  was.    Did  you  carry  up  any  other?" 

"Why,  I  think  I  did ;  but  I  can't  quite  remember.  I 
think  she  went  out  again,  though." 

"You  have  a  remarkably  poor  memory,"  said  Astro 
acidly. 

The  door  was  now  flung  open  again,  and  Thompson 
appeared.  He  showed  signs  of  the  greatest  distress, 
his  eyes  staring,  and  his  mouth  lax. 

"The  gun  has  gone !"  he  exclaimed,  and  stood  gaz- 
ing helplessly  at  McGraw. 

"It  has !  Then  I'll  have  to  arrest  you,"  said  the  offi- 
cer, and  he  took  a  pair  of  handcuffs  from  his  pocket. 
"Hold  out  your  hands,  my  man !" 

Astro  apparently  paid  no  attention  to  this  scene,  and 
walked  again  into  the  office  and  stood  looking  at  the 
body.  "You'd  better  get  Moffett  and  take  them  both 
down-stairs.  I'll  look  about  a  bit.  When  the  doctor 
comes,  send  him  up.  Send  some  one  to  look  at  the 
roof  under  Moffett's  window  to  see  if  he  can  find  an 
empty  cartridge.  Keep  a  watch  out  yourself  for  any 
one  going  down-stairs." 

When  McGraw  had  gone  with  his  prisoner,  Valeska 
approached  the  Seer  and  gazed  timidly  at  the  body  of 
Middlebury. 

"Look  at  his  left  eye,"  said  Astro  soberly. 


394       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Valeska  shudderingly  did  so.  "There's  the  tiniest 
drop  of  blood  there !"  she  exclaimed.  "It's  a  strange 
case  and  would  puzzle  any  one  who  hadn't  brains.  I 
wonder  what  poor  old  McGraw  would  have  done 
alone?" 

Astro  smiled  grimly. 

"Do  you  know  who  did  it?"  Valeska  asked  breath- 
lessly. 

"Of  course." 

"What,  already?  It  seems  impossible.  There  are 
three  persons  to  suspect,  aren't  there  ?" 

"Who  are  they?" 

"Why,  Moffett  and  the  watchman  and  the  mysterious 
woman  who  was  undoubtedly  here  to-night." 

"That  woman  is  still  in  the  building.  I  saw  her 
hiding  by  a  corner  of  the  stairway  as  we  came  up ;  but 
I  didn't  mention  it,  as  I  knew  the  men  below  would  get 
her  if  she  attempted  to  escape." 

"Which  one  did  it,  then?" 

"That's  what  I  shall  have  to  prove  before  I  leave 
the  building.  I'm  sure  enough;  but  I  need  evidence. 
Just  at  present  what  worries  me  is,  how  did  that  cal- 
endar happen  to  fall  down  from  the  wall  where  it  was 
fastened  with  one  of  these  spiral  thumb-tacks?'  He 
pointed  to  those  on  the  drawing-board. 

At  this  moment  they  heard  the  bell  of  the  elevator, 
which  now  was  standing  at  the  floor  below  while  Mc- 
graw  made  his  second  arrest,  begin  to  ring  furiously. 
Astro  ran  out  into  the  hall  and  listened.  In  a  moment 
McGraw  entered  the  car  with  his  two  men  and  the  car 
descended.  The  dial  in  the  front  of  the  shaft  showed 
its  descent  to  the  fifth  floor ;  then  the  marker  stopped. 

Astro  pointed  to  it.     "They've  captured  the  girl," 


THE   MIDDLEBURY   MURDER         395 

he  said.  "We'll  wait  for  Miss  Wilson  in  tKe  office ;  I'm 
not  through  with  my  investigation  yet."  ; 

;  He  walked  rapidly  back,  passed  the  body,  and  re- 
entered  the  private  office.  Sitting  down  at  the  desk 
in  the  corner,  he  began  a  rapid  investigation  of  the 
pigeonholes.  Suddenly  he  held  up  an  envelope  on  which 
was  printed,  "James  Moffett,  Aspenwall  Bldg.,  New 
York  City."  Opening  this,  he  took  out  a  letter  and 
read  it  aloud : 

"Mv  DEAR  MIDDLEBURY  :  I  can't  wait  any  longer 
for  that  money.  You'll  positively  have  to  pay  it 
by  the  fifteenth  or  there'll  be  trouble  for  you  sure. 
I'd  like  an  immediate  answer.  J.  MOFFETT." 

1  "Looks  bad  for  Moffett,  doesn't  it?"  said  the  Seer, 
putting  the  note  into  his  pocket.  "But  look  at  this! 
Here's  something  worse." 

He  had  just  opened  a  small  drawer  and  looked  in. 
As  he  spoke  he  held  up  a  revolver.  "One  cartridge 
used.  I'm  sorry  for  Miss  Wilson." 

"And  the  night  watchman's  pistol  yet  to  be  accounted 
for !"  said  Valeska. 

"Oh,  I  think  I  can  account  for  that,  all  right,"  said 
Astro.  "I'll  locate  that  as  soon  as  I  get  the  time. 
Here  comes  the  latest  suspect.  See  what  you  make  of 
her.  You  know  women." 

The  elevator  door  opened  with  a  snap,  and  Mc- 
Graw,  holding  a  young  woman  by  the  wrist,  entered 
the  outer  office.  She  was  a  pretty  blonde,  her  eyes 
now  red  with  weeping.  She  wore  a  neat  blue  tailor- 
made  suit  and  stylish  hat.  The  elevator  boy  came  in 
behind  her  and  gazed  at  her  hungrily. 

"We  found  her  on  the    fifth    floor    trying   to    get 


396       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

down,"  said  McGraw.  "She  has  acknowledged  that 
she  was  up  in  Middlebury's  office  this  evening." 

Astro  turned  swiftly  to  the  elevator  boy.  "What 
did  you  say  you  hadn't  taken  her  up  for?"  lie  de- 
manded. 

"Oh,  God !  I  knew  she  was  up  there ;  but  I  didn't 
take  her  up ;  she  walked  up-stairs.  I  hoped  she'd  get 
away  and  nobody'd  know.  I  thought  she'd  gone  al- 
ready." 

"And  you  wanted  to  shield  her?    Why?" 

Dennis  hung  his  head.  Then  he  muttered  shame- 
fully, "Because  I'm  in  love  with  her,  sir,  that's  why! 
And  I  didn't  want  her  to  get  into  trouble.  She  didn't 
do  it,  sir.  I'll  swear  she  didn't  shoot  him !"  He  looked 
down  at  the  body  in  horror,  then  turned  his  eyes  away 
and  began  to  sob  hysterically. 

"Well,  then,  Miss  Wilson,  what  have  you  to  say  for 
yourself  ?" 

She  had  taken  one  look  at  the  corpse  also,  and  had 
turned  away,  her  tears  breaking  forth  afresh.  Be- 
tween her  gasps  she  told  her  story: 

"Mr.  Middlebury  was  too  attentive  to  me,  I  thought, 
and  then  yesterday  he  kissed  me.  He  said  he  wanted 
to  marry  me ;  but  I  didn't  believe  it.  So  I  told  him  I 
was  going  to  leave.  I  did  leave  to-day,  and  never  ex- 
pected to  come  back  here.  Mr.  Middlebury  had  paid 
me,  and  everything,  only  I  found  I  had  forgotten  my 
house  keys.  So  I  had  dinner  down-town  and  then 
came  back  here,  because  I  knew  Mr.  Middlebury  would 
be  working  late  alone  in  the  office  on  a  rush  job  he 
had.  I  didn't  want  Dennis  to  know  I  went  up,  be- 
cause I  had  told  him  about  Mr.  Middlebury's  kissing 
me;  so  I  waited  till  he  went  up  in  the  elevator,  and 


THE   MIDDLEBURY   MURDER         397 

then  I  ran  up-stairs,  trying  to  keep  out  of  his  sight. 
Only,  he  caught  me  half-way  up.  Besides,  I  had  to 
hide  from  the  night  watchman,  because  he  had  had  a 
quarrel  with  Mr.  Middlebury,  and  he  thought  I  had 
complained  of  him." 

"Oh,  Thompson  had  quarreled  with  Middlebury,  had 
he  ?"  said  McGraw  meaningly. 

"Yes,  sir.  Middlebury  had  Thompson  discharged. 
He  has  to  leave  at  the  end  of  the  week,  and  he  was 
pretty  angry  about  it.  But  I  didn't  have  anything  to 
do  with  that  at  all.  It  was  on  account  of  Thompson's 
refusing  to  let  Mr.  Middlebury  have  an  extra  key  to 
the  door." 

"Where  is  Thompson?"  Astro  asked. 

"Oh,  he's  safe  enough  with  my  men  down  on  the 
first  floor." 

"Well,  go  ahead  with  your  story,  Miss  Wilson." 

"Why,  Mr.  Middlebury  was  awfully  nice  and  apol- 
ogized for  kissing  me,  and  proposed  to  me  again.  I 
didn't  know  what  to  say  to  him ;  but  I  was  afraid  he 
didn't  mean  it  and  was  up  to  some  game  with  me.  He 
tried  to  hold  my  hand,  and  I  snatched  it  away  so  quick 
I  upset  a  bottle  of  India  ink  he  was  using.  So  I  went 
into  his  private  office  to  wash  my  hands.  While  I 
was  in  there — "  She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 

"You  took  a  revolver  from  the  desk  drawer?"  said 
Astro. 

She  looked  at  him  in  amazement,  with  widely  opened 
eyes.  "A  revolver?  No!  Of  course  not!  I  washed 
my  hands  at  the  bowl,  and  just  as  I  was  finishing  I 
heard  a  pistol-shot,  and  then  I  heard  Mr.  Middlebury 
fall." 

"Did  you  look  into  this  office?" 


398        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Oh,  no;  I  was  so  frightened  I  didn't  dare  to.  I 
waited  a  minute  till  I  heard  the  door  slam:  then  I 
opened  the  door  to  the  side  hall  and  ran  down-stairs." 

"You  saw  nobody?" 

"Not  a  soul." 

"Was  the  elevator  there?" 

"Oh,  I  didn't  look!  I  only  wanted  to  get  away  as 
fast  as  I  could.  I  was  afraid  that  I  was  going  to  be 
suspected  and  arrested.  You  see,  I  knew  there  was  a 
pistol  in  the  private  office,  for  Mr.  Middlebury  had 
shown  it  to  me  one  day.  I  thought  that  if  he  threat- 
ened me  I  might  use  it  to  protect  myself  with." 

"Yes,  and  that's  exactly  what  you  did  do,  I'm  think- 
ing," said  McGraw  gruffly. 

Valeska  took  Miss  Wilson's  hand  affectionately  and 
pressed  it.  "Don't  be  afraid,  my  dear,"  she  said. 

With  this  friendly  help  the  girl  became  more  calm. 

Astro,  calm  and  picturesque,  the  cape  of  his  Inver- 
ness thrown  negligently  across  his  shoulder,  scrutinized 
the  girl  keenly  for  a  few  moments.  His  eyes  passed 
over  every  detail  of  her  costume,  analyzed  every  fea- 
ture. He  was  standing  so,  mysterious,  potent,  inscrut- 
able, when  his  face  changed  suddenly. 

"Do  you  remember,  Miss  Wilson,  whether  there 
was  a  small  calendar  pinned  to  the  wall  by  the  door 
there  when  you  came  in?" 

She  looked  up,  her  eyes  still  streaming.  "Why,  yes, 
I'm  sure  there  was.  That  is,  I  stuck  it  to  the  wall  with 
a  thumb-tack  yesterday,  and  I  don't  remember  its  hav- 
ing been  taken  down."  She  looked  at  him  in  surprise 
at  his  question. 

The  door  opened  again,  and  the  doctor,  who  had 
obtained  a  key  to  another  of  the  elevators,  coming  up 


THE    MIDDLEBURY    MURDER         399 

alone,  entered  the  room  and  gave  a  curious  look 
around.  i 

"I'm  Doctor  Flynn,"  he  announced.  "What's  the 
trouble?" 

"There's  your  man,"  said  Astro,  pointing  gravely 
to  the  body  of  Middlebury.  "He's  been  dead  an  hour 
or  so.  You'll  find  he  was  shot  through  the  eye.  The 
bullet  pierced  the  brain,  and  the  man  bled  only  in- 
ternally. Lift  his  left  eyelid  and  you'll  see." 

"That's  more  than  I  could  find  out,"  cried  McGraw. 
"So  he  was  shot,  then,  for  sure.  Now,  then,  who 
done  it?" 

"We'll  leave  the  doctor  here  to  make  his  examina- 
tion," said  the  Seer.  "We'll  take  Miss  Wilson  down- 
stairs. I'm  about  through,  now.  I  promise  you  the 
criminal  will  confess  before  you  can  get  the  coroner 
and  the  patrol  wagon  here." 

Leaving  the  doctor  to  his  examination  of  the  body, 
Astro  and  Valeska  walked  into  the  elevator,  followed 
by  McGraw,  who  still  held  Miss  Wilson  in  his  heavy 
grip.  The  elevator  boy  stepped  in,  shut  the  door,  and 
the  car  descended.  In  the  hall  of  the  ground  floor  an 
officer  was  standing  with  Moffett,  and  another  with 
Thompson,  each  of  the  prisoners  being  handcuffed. 
As  Astro  came  up,  another  policeman  hurried  in  from 
the  front  entrance. 

"I've  found  the  cartridge,"  he  said,  holding  up  the 
small  copper  cylinder.  "It  was  not  twenty  feet  away 
from  Moffett's  window,  on  the  roof  of  the  next  build- 
ing." 

"Yes,  I  threw  it  out  of  the  window.  It  was  just 
before  I  cleaned  the  gun.  I  told  you  I  shot  a  cat  last 
night  with  it." 


400       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

McGraw  laughed  in  derision. 

Astro  looked  Moffett  over  quietly  and  said.  "I  be- 
lieve, Mr.  Moffett,  that  Mr.  Middlebury  owed  you 
some  money,  did  he  not?" 

"Yes— why?"  Then  Moffett's  face  changed  to  ter- 
ror. 

"And  you  threatened  that  he  would  have  trouble 
if  he  didn't  pay  up,  did  you  not  ?" 

"By  George!  we  got  the  man  all  right  now!"  said 
McGraw. 

"I  got  my  pay,  though,  only  yesterday,"  exclaimed 
Moffett.  "You'll  probably  find  the  receipt  in  Middle- 
bury's  pocket,  or  with  his  papers." 

"Which  shows  how  dangerous  it  is  to  judge  a  man 
on  circumstantial  evidence,"  remarked  Astro. 

"Well,  it's  more  than  we  got  against  the  others," 
McGraw  grumbled. 

"My  dear  old  chap,  I'll  show  you  circumstantial  evi- 
dence enough  to  convince  you,  before  I'm  through. 
'Besides  that,  I'll  let  you  listen  to  an  outright  confes- 
sion. Now  you  had  better  let  Mr.  Moffett  depart  in 
peace.  He's  had  a  narrow  escape.  It's  lucky  some 
one  with  psychic  perceptions  was  here  to  rescue  him 
from  the  web  of  circumstance." 

"It  was  the  night  watchman  then,  I'll  bet  on  that!" 
said  McGraw. 

"Well,  we'll  take  up  his  case  next.  Let's  see,  he 
owed  Middlebury  a  grudge  for  having  him  discharged. 
He  had  a  pistol;  but  he  can't  produce  it.  What  has 
he  done  with  it?" 

They  had  approached  Thompson  by  this  time.  The 
night  watchman  was  listening,  trembling  in  his  turn. 
His  face  had  the  color  of  clay. 


THE    MIDDLEBURY    MURDER         401 

"I  kept  it  down-cellar  in  my  table  drawer,  near  the 
foot  of  the  elevator  shaft.  I  have  no  idea  what  has 
become  of  it!"  he  pleaded. 

Astro  touched  the  officer  wKo  had  been  holding 
Moffett.  "Take  the  elevator  and  go  down  to  the  cel- 
lar. Open  the  door  of  the  nearest  furnace  and  look 
in  and  see  if  you  can  find  a  gun." 

"Is  it  there?"  said  McGraw.  "How  in  blazes  did 
you  know  that,  you  wizard?" 

"Where  would  you  hide  a  gun  better?"  said  Astro, 
smiling.  "If  it  isn't  there,  you'll  find  it  in  some  cor- 
ner, or  in  one  of  the  ash  barrels.  It  doesn't  matter 
much,  anyway." 

Valeska,  meanwhile,  was  trying  to  comfort  Miss 
Wilson,  who  was  crying  and  talking  intermittently. 
The  two  blondes  made  a  pretty  picture  together.  Mc- 
Graw, who  since  his  first  visit  to  the  Seer's  studio,  had 
always  admired  Valeska,  looked  on,  apparently  touched. 
Finally  he  could  endure  his  curiosity  no  longer. 

"For  God's  sake,  sir,  it  ain't  the  girl,  is  it?"  he 
asked  in  a  whisper. 

Astro  laughed,  and  waited.  The  elevator  boy  sat 
on  a  bench,  a  picture  of  dejection,  waiting  for  the  out- 
come. It  was  ten  minutes  before  the  officer  reappeared 
from  the  basement.  As  he  threw  open  the  elevator 
door  he  showed,  hanging  from  a  bent  wire,  the  dis- 
torted metal  work  of  a  revolver,  still  glowing  a  dull 
red. 

"It  was  just  where  you  said,  sir,"  he  explained. 

Astro  gave  a  glance  at  it,  then  turned  to  Thompson. 
"What  have  you  to  say?"  he  asked. 

"I  don't  know  how  it  got  there,"  said  Thompson 
dully. 


402        THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"I  believe  this  is  your  last  week  as  watchman  here  ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"And  it  was  Mr.  Middlebury  who  caused  your  dis- 
charge?" 

"Yes,  sir."  Thompson  stared  stupidly  at  his  large 
feet. 

"Then  you  had  good  reason  to  hate  him?  He  is 
shot,  and  your  revolver  thrown  into  the  furnace.  It 
looks  bad,  my  man!" 

"I  swear  to  God  I'm  innocent !"  Thompson  looked 
wildly  into  the  impassive  face  of  the  Seer. 

And,  as  he  did  so,  Astro's  face  softened.  "I  believe 
you.  I  think  you  can  take  the  handcuffs  off  him,  Mc- 
Graw." 

"Take  'em  off !  Why,  he  must  be  the  one  who  done 
it !  Any  fool  could  see  that !" 

"You're  fool  enough  to,  no  doubt,"  said  Astro, 
shrugging  his  shoulders;  "but  if  you  want  the  credit 
of  detecting  the  murderer,  you'd  better  free  this  man 
and  listen  to  me." 

Astro  had  proved  his  marvelous  powers  of  deduc- 
tion or  intuition  too  many  times,  and  too  much  to  Mc- 
Graw's  own  advantage,  for  the  officer  to  refuse. 

"It's  sure  too  much  for  me!"  he  muttered  to  him- 
self as  he  unlocked  the  handcuffs. 

"Well,  now  we'll  have  an  interview  with  the  real 
criminal,"  said  Astro,  walking  over  to  the  two  girls. 

Miss  Wilson,  hearing  this,  looked  terrified  at  him; 
but  there  was  no  expression  there  that  could  reassure 
her.  She  opened  her  lips  to  speak,  but  could  not. 

Astro  began  deliberately,  speaking  so  that  his  words 
echoed  through  the  corridor.  "Miss  Wilson,  by  your 


THE   MIDDLEBURY    MURDER         403 

own  confession  you  were  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Middle- 
bury  at  the  time  he  was  shot." 

"In  the  inner  office,  I  was,"  she  ejaculated. 

"In  the  inner  office,  where  there  was  found  a  re- 
Solver  with  one  cartridge  used,"  added  Astro. 

iThe  girl  nodded,  her  face  pale. 

r  "You  have  confessed  to  Dennis,  here,  that  Mr.  Mid- 
ftlebury  had  kissed  you  and  that  you  were  offended. 
[You  have  confessed  that  he  made  a  proposal  of  mar- 
riage to-night  that  you  suspected  was  false  and  only 
a  game  to  fool  you  with." 

"Oh,  but  I'm  sure  now  he  was  sincere !"  Miss  Wil- 
son cried.  "I  am  sure  he  loved  me !  I'm  sorry  I  sus- 
pected him  of  anything  ungentlemanly !" 

"Nevertheless,  there  was  a  scuffle.  He  attempted  to 
take  your  hand.  You  escaped  to  the  inner  room — 
where  the  revolver  was  kept." 

"Only  to  wash  my  hands !"  she  wailed. 

"Your  story  is  too  flimsy,"  said  Astro,  his  voice 
suddenly  grown  harsh,  as  he  turned  to  McGraw.  "Offi- 
cers, I  charge  Miss  Wilson  with  the  crime  of  mur- 
der !  Arrest  her  and  handcuff  her !" 

Valeska,  who  had  sprung  up  in  surprise  and  indig- 
nation, opened  her  lips  to  protest.  McGraw,  instead 
of  moving  forward,  had  taken  a  step  backward,  when 
Dennis,  the  elevator  boy,  jumped  up  and  seized  Astro's 
arm. 

"Don't  arrest  her,  don't!"  he  shrieked.  "I  done  it 
myself!" 

"You  done  it?"  McGraw  echoed. 

"Yes !  Arrest  me !"  and  the  boy  held  out  his  wrists 
imploringly. 


404       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Astro  coolly  took  out  his  cigarette  case  and  lighted 
a  cigarette.  "Well,  McGraw,"  he  said,  smiling,  "didn't 
I  promise  you  a  confession?" 

McGraw,  stupefied,  clasped  the  handcuffs  on  Dennis' 
wrists.  Miss  Wilson  fell,  almost  fainting,  on  the 
bench,  where  Valeska  put  her  arm  tenderly  about  her. 

"Well,  Dennis,  you're  fairly  caught,"  said  Astro. 
"I've  known  for  some  time  that  you  were  guilty ;  but 
it's  so  much  more  satisfactory  to  have  an  out-and-out 
confession.  Now  I'll  trouble  you  for  the  key  to  Mid- 
dlebury's  door."  And,  so  saying,  he  reached  into  the 
boy's  trousers  pocket  and  brought  forth  a  small  Yale 
key. 

"When  did  you  find  it,  Dennis?" 

"I  found  it  last  week,  sir,  on  the  floor  of  my  car." 

"And  you  kept  it  thinking  it  might  come  in  handy, 
and  perhaps  get  the  night  watchman  into  trouble,  eh? 
So  you  were  jealous  of  Mr.  Middlebury  on  Miss  Wil- 
son's account,  were  you?" 

"Oh,  it  made  me  wild,  sir!  I  just  couldn't  stand  it 
when  she  told  me  he  had  kissed  her,  and  when  I  saw 
her  going  up  there  to-night  I  went  crazy." 

"So  you  stole  Thompson's  gun  from  the  cellar,  went 
up  when  Thompson  was  on  his  rounds,  opened  the 
door  with  your  key,  and  shot  Mr.  Middlebury?" 

"Yes,  sir !"  Dennis'  voice  was  faint. 

"Then  you  ran  your  car  to  the  cellar,  threw  the  gun 
into  the  furnace,  then  went  up  and  found  Thompson 
and  told  him  you  had  heard  a  shot  ?" 

"Yes,  sir.  Oh,  I  was  crazy!  I  was  crazy  about 
her!" 

"And  you  thought  if  you  said  nothing  about  her 
she  would  escape  ?" 


THE    MIDDLEBURY    MURDER         405 

"Yes,  sir.  For  God's  sake  take  me  away!  I  don't 
ever  want  to  see  her  again !" 

"Patrol  wagon's  come,  sir,"  said  one  of  the  officers, 
walking  up  to  McGraw.  He  laid  his  hand  on  Dennis' 
arm. 

"One  minute,  please,"  said  Astro.  "Dennis,  my 
boy,  will  you  please  hold  up  your  left  foot?  Thank 
you !"  And  as  the  boy  did  so  Astro  removed  a  spiral 
wire  thumb-tack  that  was  imbedded  in  the  rubber  heel 
of  the  boot. 

"What's  that  for?"  McGraw  inquired. 

"The  law  doesn't  permit  a  defendant  to  plead  guilty 
to  a  charge  of  murder.  You  may  need  this  for  evi- 
dence when  the  case  is  tried."  As  the  elevator  boy 
was  led  away  he  looked  at  him  pityingly.  "Cocaine," 
he  remarked  to  McGraw. 

"Sure.  Dope  done  it,  all  right.  He  was  worked  up 
to  it.  It  may  do  for  an  insanity  defense." 

"He's  a  mattoid.  You'll  find  his  parents  or  grand- 
parents were  criminals,  poor  devil!"  The  Seer  turned 
to  Miss  Wilson.  "You've  had  a  lucky  escape,  too,  my 
dear.  It's  fortunate  that  I  was  here." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know  how  to  say  how  grateful  I  am !" 
she  exclaimed. 

"We'll  drive  you  home,"  Valeska  volunteered.  "I 
know  this  shock  has  been  terrible  for  you.  Do  come 
with  us !" 

She  drew  tHe  girl  toward  the  doorway  and  they 
bade  good  night  to  McGraw.  As  Astro  and  the  officer 
waited  talking  for  a  moment,  the  girls  entered  the 
green  limousine.  But,  hardly  in,  Valeska  returned  to 
the  doorway  hurriedly.  McGraw  had  gone  inside. 

"I  can't  wait  till  we've  left  Miss  Wilson,"  she  said. 


4o6       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Do  please  let  me  see  that  paper  you  picked  up  in  the 
elevator.  I  think  I  see  where  you  got  your  first  clue, 
now.  Dennis,  the  elevator  boy,  had  stepped  on  it, 
hadn't  he?" 

Astro  took  the  paper  from  his  pocketbook  and 
handed  it  to  his  assistant.  Faintly  indented  on  its 
surface  was  a  small  spiral. 

"Yes,  I'll  have  to  confess,  Valeska,"  he  said,  "that, 
if  it  hadn't  been  for  that  small  scrap  of  paper,  Mc- 
Graw  would  have  had  three  prisoners  instead  of  one 
in  custody  to-night  I" 


VENGEANCE  OF  THE  PI 

RHO  NU 

"/^RACIOUS !     It's  perfectly    wonderful!      Why, 

v_T  you've  told  me  things  no  one  has  ever  known 
about  me."  The  young  woman  gazed  at  Astro  with 
her  deep  brown  eyes — eyes  that  bespoke  feeling  rather 
than  intellect. 

Then  she  drew  a  long  breath,  as  if  seeking  courage 
to  speak.  "There's  one  thing  I'd  like  to  know  if  you 
can  tell  me,"  she  added  anxiously,  "shall  I  be  married 
soon?" 

Astro  leaned  back  into  the  shadow  and  contemplated 
his  client.  She  was  young,  vivid,  temperamental,  and 
decidedly  pretty.  But  he  looked  in  vain  for  evidences 
of  a  sense  of  humor.  Her  level  eyebrows  were  too 
delicately  straight  for  that.  Her  lips  curved  delicious- 
ly,  but  not  with  whimsicality.  There  was  no  doubt 
about  it,  Miss  Pauline  Wister  was  a  bromide ;  and  he 
must  act  accordingly. 

"Very  soon,"  he  answered. 

She  drew  a  sigh  of  relief,  and  he  felt  her  clasp  on 
his  hands  relax.  "I've  been  worrying  a  little,"  she 
confessed. 

It  was  evident  that  she  was  willing  to  talk,  and 
Astro  waited  a  moment  without  answering,  bending  in 
closer  scrutiny  over  her  palm.  He  finally  put  down 

407 


408        THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

her  hand,  nodding  his  head  mysteriously.  "I  can  see 
that  you  are  in  trouble.  If  I  can  be  of  any  help,  I 
shall  be  glad  to  do  what  I  can." 

Miss  Wister  released  her  hand  and  opened  her  bag, 
from  which  she  drew  a  small  envelope.  Her  lips 
trembled  as  she  looked  at  the  Seer. 

"I  am  to  be  married  to-morrow  morning  at  ten 
o'clock/'  she  said ;  "that  is,  if  nothing  happens  to  pre- 
vent it."  Her  fingers  clasped  the  letter  more  tightly. 
"I  am  engaged  to  Mr.  Edward  Farralon;  but — but  I 
haven't  heard  from  him  since  yesterday  noon !"  There 
were  tears  in  her  big  brown  eyes  as  she  gazed  up  at 
him. 

As  Astro,  however,  only  nodded  gravely,  she  went 
on.  "I  tried  to  telephone  to  him  last  night,  and  he 
was  not  at  home;  at  least,  he  didn't  answer.  I  tried 
this  forenoon,  and  they  told  me  that  he  had  not  been 
down  to  his  office.  And — and  I'm  to  be  married  to- 
morrow !"  Miss  Wister  had  almost  broken  into  tears. 

"You've  been  seeing  him  often  and  quite  regularly, 
I  suppose?" 

"Oh,  yes,  every  day!  That's  what  makes  it  seem 
so  strange.  Do  you  think  anything  can  have  hap- 
pened to  him?  I  don't  know  what  to  do!  I  daren't 
tell  any  one  for  fear  of  making  talk,  and  if  he's  all 
right,  that  would  be  dreadful.  But  there's  something 
else — here,  look  at  this  letter  I  got  this  morning!" 

Astro  glanced  at  the  envelope  she  passed  him,  saw 
that  it  was  addressed  with  a  typewriter,  and  took  out 
the  single  sheet  it  contained.  On  this  was  typewritten 
the  line: 

"Beware  the  Vengeance  of  the  Pi  Rho  Nu!H 


VENGEANCE   OF   THE   PI   RHO   NU     409 

"Well,"  he  said,  "that  certainly  is  enough  to  give 
a  girl  the  creeps  on  the  day  before  her  wedding.  You 
have  no  idea  what  it  means,  I  suppose?" 

"No.  I'm  awfully  alarmed;  but  at  the  same  time 
— I'll  have  to  tell  you — Edward  is  an  awful  jollier, 
and  is  all  the  time  playing  jokes  on  me;  so  I  never 
can  be  sure  of  anything.  He  says  he's  training  my 
sense  of  humor."  Miss  Wister  smiled  sadly.  "But 
the  fact  that  he's  missing  is  different.  It  frightens 
me!" 

"My  dear  Miss  Wister,"  Astro  said,  clasping  her 
hand  in  assurance,  "if  you'll  leave  this  to  me,  I'll 
promise  you  that  you  shall  be  married  promptly  on 
time.  You  need  give  yourself  no  anxiety  about  it. 
As  it  happens,  I  have  nothing  else  to  do,  and  I  shall 
be  glad  to  help  you." 

"Oh,  I'm  so  relieved!  I  knew  that  if  you  would 
only  try  you  could  solve  the  mystery.  You  know,  I 
used  to  know  Mrs.  Chester  when  she  was  Ruth  Lors- 
son,  and  she  told  me  the  story  of  how  you  helped  her. 
It  was  that  made  me  want  to  tell  you." 

Astro  smiled.  "Yes,  I  confess  love-affairs  do  rather 
amuse  me,  and  I'm  always  willing  to  help  straighten 
them  out.  So,  if  you're  willing  to  do  exactly  as  I  say, 
I'll  take  this  on." 

"Oh,  I'll  do  anything!" 

"It  may  cost  considerable  money,  too." 

"But  think  of  having  trouble  with  my  wedding !  It's 
awful!  Why,  I  don't  know  but  I  ought  to  counter- 
mand the  invitations !  Of  course,  I  don't  want  to  un- 
less it's  necessary ;  it's  a  terrible  thing  to  do." 

"Go  right  ahead,  and  trust  to  me.  I'll  promise  to 
have  Mr.  Farralon  on  time.  Is  it  at  a  church  ?" 


4io       THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"No,  we're  to  be  married  at  my  house,  5678  Lexing- 
ton Avenue." 

"All  right.    Where  is  Mr.  Farralon's  office?" 

"Eighteen  West  Thirty-second  Street.  He's  the 
American  agent  for  a  Belgian  rubber  firm,  you  know, 
and  has  only  a  small  place  for  a  headquarters." 

"He's  a  college  man,  I  suppose?" 

"Yes,  Stapleton  University,  '04." 

"Who  is  to  be  his  best  man?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Stringer,  a  classmate  of  his.  He's  a 
lawyer ;  a  patent  lawyer,  I  think.  I've  told  him  about 
Edward's  disappearance,  and  he's  promised  to  find  him 
to-day ;  but  I  thought—" 

"You'd  make  sure  ?"  Astro  smiled  as  he  rose.  "Mr. 
Stringer  knew  nothing,  I  suppose?  Did  he  offer  to 
come  and  see  you  about  it?" 

"Yes ;  said  he'd  be  up  this  afternoon." 

"Very  well.  Let  me  know  if  he's  found  out  any- 
thing. Meanwhile,  be  ready  to  do  anything  I  request. 
I'll  consult  my  crystal  ball  immediately.  Valeska !"  he 
called,  raising  his  voice.  "Show  Miss  Wister  out, 
please." 

His  guest  had  no  sooner  left  than  Astro  took  up  the 
telephone.  He  called  for  Edward  Masson,  a  man 
whose  friendship  he  had  won  at  the  time  of  the  solu- 
tion of  the  famous  Denton  boudoir  murder  mystery. 
Of  the  conversation  that  ensued,  Valeska,  returning  to 
the  palmist's  studio,  heard  only  one  side. 

"Is  this  Mr.  Masson?  .  .  .  You're  a  Stapleton 
University  man,  aren't  you,  Masson  ?  .  .  .  Were  there 
any  local  secret  fraternities  there  along  from  1901  to 
1904?  .  .  .  What  was  the  name  of  it?  .  .  . 


VENGEANCE    OF   THE    PI   RHO    NU     411 

The  Pi  Rho  Nu?  .  .  .  Can  you  get  me  a  list  of 
the  members?  .  .  .  Rather  lively  crowd,  eh? 
.  .  .  Well,  thank  you,  but  you'll  have  to  hurry. 
Telephone  me  here  as  soon  as  you  can." 

He  hung  up  the  receiver  and  turned  to  Valeska. 
"We  have  but  little  time,  and  there's  much  to  be  done. 
I  can't  explain  till  later.  You'd  better  wait  here  till 
Masson  telephones,  and  stay  till  I  come.  I'm  off  right 
away.  Ring  up  Lieutenant  McGraw,  and  ask  him  if 
he  can  get  me  a  burglar's  jimmy,  and  also  ask  him  to 
investigate  the  Belgian  Rubber  Syndicate's  office,  18 
West  Thirty-second  Street.  See  if  there's  anything 
crooked  about  it.  I'll  be  back  as  soon  as  I  can.  Oh ! 
If  Masson  rings  up  soon,  go  out  to  Miss  Wister's 
house,  look  it  over  outside,  and  hurry  back  and  be 
ready  to  report  the  lay  of  the  land." 

Two  minutes  after  that,  Astro  was  in  a  green  motor- 
car headed  for  West  Thirty-second  Street.  Here  he 
alighted  and  went  in  through  a  narrow  doorway. 
There  was  a  narrow  hall  with  a  single  elevator,  and  a 
flight  of  stairs  leading  upward.  A  list  of  names  on  the 
wall  showed  that  the  office  of  "Edward  Farralon, 
American  Agent,  Belgian  Rubber  Syndicate,"  occupied 
room  twelve,  on  the  third  floor.  Astro  pressed  the 
bell,  and  shortly  afterward  the  elevator  door  rolled 
open.  A  red-headed  man  in  shirt  sleeves  was  inside. 

"Mr.  Farralon  has  an  office  here?"  said  the  Seer. 

"Yep ;  but  he  ain't  in." 

"Been  in  to-day?" 

"Nope." 

"Here  yesterday?" 

"Yep." 

"Did  you  see  him  go  out  last  night?" 


4i2        THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

"Nope.  He  worked  rather  late,  though,  I  think.  He 
prob'ly  walked  down-stairs.  The  elevator  boy  skipped 
last  night ;  so  the  box  wa'n't  working.  I'm  the  janitor ; 
just  running  the  car  till  they  can  get  another  boy." 

"Ah!  So  the  elevator  boy  skipped,  did  he?  What 
was  his  name?" 

"Mickey  Flynn.  He'll  have  hard  work  getting  an- 
other job,  if  I  can  prevent  it,  leaving  me  in  the  lurch 
like  that!" 

"Do  you  know  where  he  lives  ?" 

"Out  on  East  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  Street, 
I  believe.  Let's  see,.  I  believe  I  got  it  writ  down  in  my 
pocketbook  somewhere.  Did  you  want  him  ?" 

"I  dropped  a  package  in  the  car  yesterday,  or  in  Mr. 
Farralon's  office,  I  don't  know  which.  If  I  can't  get 
into  Farralon's  office,  I  want  to  see  the  boy,  in  case  he 
found  it." 

"Well,  you'll  never  get  it,  then,  I'll  bet!  But  I'll 
give  a  look  and  see  if  I  can  find  the  address.  Let's  see. 
He  come  here  about  two  months  back."  He  looked 
over  the  greasy  pages  of  the  note-book  till  he  found  the 
page.  "Here  it  is:  1575  East  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
sixth.  That's  right.  Well,  I  hope  you'll  find  your 
package,  sir." 

Astro  went  back  to  the  cab  and  drove  immediately 
to  the  address.  It  was  a  tenement  swarming  with  chil- 
dren, and  he  was  directed  to  the  fifth  floor,  where,  at 
his  knock,  the  door  was  opened  by  Mickey  himself.  It 
took  only  a  short  talk  to  convince  the  boy  that  he 
would  avoid  trouble  if  he  told  what  he  knew  immedi- 
ately, and  he  explained  his  disappearance  from  his 
post  of  duty  with  considerable  anxiety. 

"I  was  in  de  box  up  to  eight  o'clock,  all  right. 


VENGEANCE   OF  THE   PI   RHO   NU     413 

Along  about  then  two  swell  chaps  come  into  de  hall 
and  asked  me  was  Mr.  Farralon  up-stairs.  Yes,  I  says, 
he  was.  Then  one  o'  de  chaps  peeled  free  tens  ofFn  a 
roll  o'  bills  and  shoved  it  into  me  fist.  'Beat  it  out'n 
dis  here !'  he  says.  'Go  chase  a  new  job/  he  says,  'an' 
lose  yourself !  Dis  here  is  give  you  so  you  don't  come 
back  for  a  week/  he  says.  Well,  I  didn't  ask  no  ques- 
tions. It  looked  like  a  easy  way  to  make  t'irty  to  me, 
an'  I  got  me  coat  an'  piked  out  in  a  hurry,  and  went 
up  to  de  Circle  T'eater  to  see  de  show.  An  dat's  all  I 
know." 

"How  did  they  come  ?"  Astro  asked. 

"In  a  buzz  wagon.  I  copped  dat  off  all  right.  Say, 
I'll  give  you  de  number  for  anoder  ten." 

"You'll  give  it  to  me  without  that,  or  I'll  have  you 
arrested !  I'm  a  detective !"  the  Seer  threatened. 

Mickey's  eyes  grew  big;  he  was  evidently  a  hero 
worshiper.  He  fumbled  in  his  pocket  and  drew  out  a 
bit  of  newspaper.  On  it  was  scrawled  the  number 
11115. 

"Dat's  de  mark,  all  right,"  he  explained.  "Say,  I'm 
goin'  to  be  a  'teck  myself  when  I  grow  up.  Will  youse 
give  me  a  job  ?" 

Astro  laughed.  "If  you'd  had  sense  enough  to  wait 
and  see  what  those  two  men  did,  I'd  give  you  a  job 
right  now,"  he  said. 

Mickey  groaned.  "Gee!"  he  exclaimed.  "W'y 
didn't  I  t'ink  o'  dat?  I  was  dopin'  out  w'at  I'd  do  wit' 
de  money.  I  was  crazy  to  see  a  show." 

"Well,  what  did  the  men  look  like,  then,  if  you're 
such  a  good  detective  ?" 

Mickey  brightened  visibly  as  he  replied,  "Say,  I  got 
dat,  all  right.  Look  a-here!  One  was  a  tall  guy  wit' 


4H       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

specs  and  a  little  mustache  and,  gee !  w'at  a  neck !  De 
other  was  built  like  Jim  Jeffries, — stocky  an'  heavy. 
Looked  like  he  could  punch,  all  right!  Mout'  full  o' 
gold  teeth,  he  had.  De  other  chap  called  him  Frank." 

"Was  there  any  one  in  the  car  when  you  left  ?" 

"Dey  was  a  ch'uffer  dere,  all  bungled  up  so  I 
couldn't  reckernize  him,  wit'  goggles  and  one  o'  dem 
hairy  coats." 

"All  right.  That's  worth  the  ten  you  wanted,  I 
think."  And  Astro  passed  over  the  bill  and  started 
down-stairs. 

Mickey  leaned  over  the  rail  and  shouted,  "Say,  boss, 
de  tall  guy  had  a  leather  bag !" 

Astro  nodded  and  regained  his  car.  "Drive  to  the 
nearest  big  automobile  dealer,"  he  ordered. 

The  car  stopped  before  the  Aeromobile  warerooms. 
Astro  got  out  and  asked  to  see  the  automobile  list.  In 
two  minutes  he  had  found  that  the  car  registered  num- 
ber 11115  was  owned  by  Frank  Brigham  of  number 
12 1 2  Charles  Street,  in  Greenwich  village,  New  York. 
A  look  at  the  telephone  book  showed  Brigham's  busi- 
ness to  be  brokerage,  and  his  office  to  be  1000  Wall 
Street.  Astro  reentered  the  cab  and  returned  to  the 
studio. 

Valeska  was  not  in  the  place.  A  boy  in  buttons  in- 
formed him  that  she  had  left  a  half-hour  ago,  after 
having  answered  the  telephone. 

A  package  had  come  from  Lieutenant  McGraw. 
Astro  opened  it,  and  took  out  a  burglar's  jimmy  and  a 
note.  It  read : 

"Be  careful;  but  if  you  get  in  bad,  let  me  know. 
Belg.  Rub.  Synd.  O.  K.,  as  far  as  I  can  find  out. 

"McGRAW." 


VENGEANCE   OF   THE   PI   RHO    NU     415 

It  was  a  quarter  of  an  Hour  before  he  heard  Valeska 
enter. 

"Did  Masson  give  you  any  names?"  was  his  first  in- 
quiry. 

"Yes;  Mr.  Paul  Stringer  of  Flatbush,  Mr.  Richard 
Hanbury  of  Albany,  Mr.  Frank  Brigham." 

"Of  1212  Charles  Street?" 

"Yes !"  Valeska  looked  at  him  in  wonder. 

"And  what  about  Miss  Wister's  house?  YouVe 
been  out  there,  I  fancy  ?" 

"Yes.  It's  a  five-story  brick  dwelling.  It's  on  the 
corner." 

"What  about  the  other  houses  in  the  block?" 

"I  have  the  names  of  the  owners  from  the  Social 
Register,  all  except  one,  which  is  vacant  and  for  sale." 

"Real  estate  agents  ?" 

"Swan  &  Dowell,  3421  Broadway." 

"Very  good.  Telephone  right  out  there  for  an  ap- 
pointment ;  then  hire  that  house  and  pay  in  advance  for 
one  month.  Tell  them  you'll  sign  a  lease  if  the  place 
is  satisfactory.  Use  any  excuse  you  need.  Just  where 
is  it?" 

"At  the  other  end  of  the  block,  on  the  corner  of  the 
next  street." 

"All  right.  Then,  as  soon  as  possible,  look  up 
Stringer — he's  Farralon's  best  man — and  see  where 
he  goes  to-night.  Find  him,  and  don't  lose  sight  of 
him !  I'll  have  to  work  quickly,  if  I'm  going  to  keep 
my  word  to  Miss  Wister." 

"You  think  Stringer  knows  something  of  it?" 

"He  hasn't  been  to  see  Miss  Wister,  and  that's  sus- 
picious. I  telephoned  to  her  and  to  his  office.  He 
hasn't  been  there.  They  say  he's  out  of  town.  That 


416       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

means  he  doesn't  want  to  be  found ;  but  you  must  try 
to  find  him.  Miss  Wister  will  give  you  a  description. 
Now  I'm  off!" 

He  ran  down-stairs  and  jumped  into  the  waiting 
cab.  In  less  than  twenty  minutes  he  was  at  Frank 
Brigham's  Wall  Street  office.  Inquiring  of  the  office 
boy,  he  discovered  that  Brigham  was  in;  but,  instead 
of  waiting,  Astro  took  the  elevator  down  to  the  street. 
There  was  an  automobile  waiting  by  the  curb,  and  he 
looked  at  the  number.  It  was  11115!  He  went  back 
to  his  taxicab. 

"Can  you  keep  up  with  that  car?"  he  asked,  point- 
ing to  Brigham's  machine  and  handing  the  chauffeur  a 
five-dollar  bill. 

The  man  touched  his  cap  and  grinned.  "I'll  do  it  or 
get  pinched  for  speeding!"  he  answered. 

Astro  got  into  the  cab  and  waited,  watching  through 
a  slit  side  of  the  curtain  window.  Within  five  minutes 
Brigham  appeared  with  a  tall  thin  man  in  eye-glasses, 
wearing  a  small,  black,  close-cropped  mustache.  They 
entered  the  tonneau  of  the  automobile,  and  the  car 
moved  off,  followed  by  the  taxicab.  Winding  in  and 
out  of  the  up-town  traffic,  the  car  was  easily  followed 
until  it  stopped  at  the  Hotel  Saint  Nemo,  where  the 
two  men  alighted.  Astro  followed  them  to  the  grill- 
room, waited  till  they  had  seated  themselves,  and  took 
a  table  not  too  far  away  to  watch  them. 

Cocktails  for  three  were  brought.  Astro's  eyes  nar- 
rowed as  he  awaited  the  third  conspirator.  In  a  few 
minutes  he  appeared,  and  the  Seer  of  secrets  had  time 
to  make  up  his  mind  that  he  was  the  missing  best  man 
before  his  suspicion  was  corroborated  by  Valeska's 


VENGEANCE   OF   THE   PI   RHO    NU     417 

unobtrusive  appearance  in  the  doorway.  He  gave  her 
a  sign  that  she  could  safely  join  him,  and  she  came  to 
his  table  as  if  she  had  been  expected. 

"How  do  you  suppose  I  got  him?"  she  asked  jubi- 
lantly. "I  called  him  up  on  the  telephone,  and  some 
one  asked  my  name.  I  replied,  'Pi  Rho  Nu.J  It  was  a 
sudden  inspiration,  though  I  haven't  the  least  idea 
what  it  means.  As  soon  as  he  answered,  I  hung  up, 
and  got  to  his  apartment-house  as  soon  as  I  could.  He 
took  a  hansom,  and  I  had  no  trouble  in  following  him. 
Who  are  these  men  ?" 

"Brigham  and  Doctor  Hanbury,"  .said  Astro.  "At 
least  I  imagine  that  the  one  they've  been  calling  'Doc'  is 
Richard  Hanbury.  I  wish  they'd  talk  a  little  louder." 

"Wait  till  they've  finished  those  cocktails,"  said  Va- 
leska  sapiently. 

The  three  men  were  already  laughing  uproariously. 
One  was  telling  a  story,  marking  imaginary  circles  on 
his  cheeks  as  he  spoke.  At  the  close  of  the  narration 
all  three  lifted  their  glasses  and  drank  a  health. 

"Was  that  To  the  ride'?" 

"Not  quite."    Astro  was  seated  nearer  to  the  group. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  men  showed  signs  of  being  about 
to  leave  the  dining-room,  and  Astro  and  Valeska  had 
just  time  to  make  their  exit  first  without  being  ob- 
served. 

"I'll  have  to  continue  the  chase  alone,"  he  said. 
"You'd  better  try  and  find  out  what  you  can  from  Far- 
ralon's  apartment.  See  his  man,  if  you  can.  You  can 
act  the  French  maid  for  that.  Any  valet  will  talk,  if  he 
thinks  you  come  from  some  woman.  As  for  me,  I  may 
be  in  the  police  court  for  burglary  by  to-morrow  morn- 


418       THE   MASTER   OF  MYSTERIES 

ing;  and  so,  if  I'm  not  at  the  studio  by  eight  o'clock, 
you'd  better  see  Lieutenant  McGraw.  Here  they  come, 
now !  Good-by  I" 

In  another  minute  his  cab  had  again  taken  up  the 
chase  of  car  11115.  They  sped  north,  crossed  the  park, 
turned  into  Seventy-second  Street,  and  finally  flew  at 
full  speed  straight  out  the  Broadway  boulevard.  Here 
the  little  taxicab  had  hard  work  following ;  but  kept  on 
and  on,  nearly  to  Kingsbridge.  Here  the  open  draw- 
bridge enabled  Astro  to  catch  up.  Beyond  that,  the 
car  turned  sharply  to  the  right  and  went  a  hundred 
yards,  stopping  before  a  large  brick  building  that  stood 
alone.  It  bore  the  sign  of  a  sewing-machine  company 
but  was  apparently  deserted,  though  a  light  shone  from 
one  of  the  upper  floors. 

Astro,  whose  driver  had  stopped  the  cab  at  a  safe 
distance,  got  out  and  walked  on  cautiously.  Luckily  it 
was  dark  and  cloudy.  As  he  went  up  the  steps  to  the 
door,  he  could  still  hear  the  voices  of  the  men  who  had 
just  entered.  The  door  was  ajar.  Instantly  he  slipped 
inside,  and,  suspecting  that  the  doorkeeper  would  re- 
turn after  he  had  shown  his  guests  the  way,  he  dodged 
into  a  vacant  room  off  the  hall. 

Here  he  waited  nearly  an  hour,  and,  hiding  close  to 
the  door,  heard  several  visitors  arrive,  saw  them  give 
the  hailing  sign  and  pass  up-stairs.  At  about  eleven 
o'clock  the  watchman  looked  at  his  watch,  lighted  his 
pipe,  and  walked  into  the  room  opposite,  evidently  to 
sleep.  This  was  the  time,  if  any  time  were  safe,  to  in- 
vestigate the  upper  floors. 

Up  one  floor  he  crept  softly,  found  all  dark,  and  lis- 
tened. From  higher  up  came  now  the  sounds  of  laugh- 


.VENGEANCE   OF   THE   PI   RHO    NU    419 

ter,  of  singing,  and  an  occasional  cheer.  He  crept  up 
the  next  flight;  the  noise  grew  louder.  He  opened  a 
door  at  the  right  of  the  landing,  and  found  a  large  hall, 
once  used  for  machinery.  The  pounding  of  feet  on  the 
ceiling  told  him  that  the  men  he  had  seen  enter  were 
immediately  above.  He  paced  the  room,  and  found  it 
to  be  a  hundred  feet  by  fifty.  Opposite  the  long  row 
of  shuttered  windows  was  another  door.  This  he  en- 
tered, and  found  a  small  room,  evidently  once  used  for 
an  office,  with  a  fireplace,  mantel,  and  one  window. 

Step  by  step  he  now  ascended  the  next  flight  of 
stairs,  the  sounds  of  revelry  growing  louder  every 
minute.  A  glance  above  showed  a  streak  of  light 
through  the  half-opened  door.  A  nearer  approach 
showed  another  door,  corresponding  to  that  of  the  of- 
fice he  had  noticed  below.  He  darted  up  to  the  land- 
ing, put  his  hand  to  the  handle  of  this  door,  and  it 
opened  easily.  Passing  in,  he  closed  it  behind  him  and 
looked  about. 

There  was  a  cot  bed  with  a  pair  of  blankets  drawn 
up  against  the  wall,  a  basket  of  food,  and  a  pitcher  of 
water  and  many  beer  bottles  on  a  table.  A  fireplace 
on  the  other  wall  corresponded  to  the  one  he  had  seen 
below.  Astro  stole  to  the  keyhole  of  the  door  leading 
into  the  hall  and  listened.  A  smile  came  to  his  lips. 

"Brigham !   Brigham  !"  the  company  was  yelling. 

From  his  post  Astro  could  see  only  the  broad  back 
of  Brigham  in  the  light  of  many  candles ;  but  he  could 
hear  perfectly  the  speech  that  followed. 

"Brothers  of  the  Pi  Rho  Nu,"  Brigham  began,  "far 
be  it  from  me  to  try  to  make  a  speech  to-night — as  you 
know  I  can't!  But  I'll  take  my  turn  in  testifying  to 
the  utter  depravity  of  the  prisoner." 


420       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Cries  of  "Hear,  hear!"  interrupted  him,  and  after 
they  were  stilled  Brigham  went  on. 

"The  event  is  now  a  piece  of  the  history  of  the  Pi 
Rho  Nu ;  but  I'll  briefly  state  the  facts.  Two  years  ago 
I  was  married." 

"How  delightful  to  be  married!"  the  crowd  began 
to  sing. 

"And  it  was  my  fond  intention  to  pass  my  honey- 
moon in  an  automobile.  In  fact,  it  was  begun  all  right, 
and  I'd  have  been  safe  if  I  had  contented  myself  with 
driving  only  daytimes.  But  on  my  very  first  evening — 
we  were  married  at  noon — I  was  held  up  by  a  band  of 
desperadoes  on  the  road  from  Albany  to  Troy.  I  should 
have  been  able  to  take  care  of  all  of  them  with  my 
fists ;  but  I  could  never  look  a  gun  in  the  muzzle  calmly. 
The  result  was  that  I  was  tied  up  with  Mrs.  Brigham 
and  carried  into  a  lonely  house.  She  was  put  into  one 
room,  and  I  into  another.  Gentlemen,  I  ask  you  to  pic- 
ture my  feelings  that  night,  as  I  heard  scream  after 
scream  coming  from  the  room  adjacent  for  hours  un- 
ending. It  was  only  because  I  knew  my  bride  had 
been  carried  safely  away  to  the  nearest  hotel  that  I  was 
able  to  sleep  at  all.  So,  gentlemen,  I  demand  the  pen- 
alty of—" 

"Death!"  shouted  the  rest  in  a  chorus  of  laughter, 
after  which  there  were  calls  for  "Doc  Hanbury."  Han- 
bury  was  invisible  from  Astro's  peep-hole,  but  his  voice 
rose  clearly. 

"I  also  was  married,"  he  began,  and  was  also  inter- 
rupted by  the  popular  chorus ;  "but  under  painful  and 
embarrassing  circumstances,"  he  continued.  "The 
afternoon  of  the  wedding  my  flat  was  entered  and  I 
was  garroted  by  two  masked  men.  I  was  tied  to  a 


VENGEANCE   OF   THE   PI   RHO    NU     421 

chair,  and  then  one  of  them  painted  my  face  deliber- 
ately but  too  fancifully  with  iodine.  He  painted  my 
cheeks  in  circles,  gentlemen,  and  my  brow  was  a  pic- 
turesque plaid  of  squares.  Those  of  you  who  were 
present  at  the  ceremony  possibly  remarked  the  grease 
paint  that  attempted  too  unsuccessfully  to  cover  my 
shame.  I  had  to  do  it.  You  can't  explain  an  absence 
from  your  own  wedding  except  by — " 

"Death !"  came  the  jovial  chorus. 

One  after  another  proceeded  to  testify,  each  con- 
stantly interrupted  by  the  hilarious  members  of  the 
fraternity. 

Astro  had  heard  enough.  It  was  evident  that  Far- 
ralon,  the  master  spirit  of  the  association  and  fiercest 
of  its  practical  jokers,  had  met  his  just  deserts.  Just 
what  they  would  do  with  him,  Astro  could  not  guess ; 
but  that  the  bridegroom  would  need  a  friend  was  not 
to  be  doubted.  How  was  he  to  be  helped?  Astro  de- 
termined to  complete  his  investigation  of  the  building 
before  he  decided.  Undoubtedly  the  gang  would  make 
a  night  of  it  in  the  house  and  keep  Farralon  a  prisoner 
till  the  last  moment,  if  indeed  they  did  not  prevent  the 
ceremony.  The  Seer  took  an  electric  torch  from  his 
pocket  and  stole  up-stairs. 

The  floor  was  planned  like  those  below,  with  the 
same  big  hall,  the  small  office,  and  fireplace.  As  it  was 
in  the  office  that  Farralon  was  to  be  locked,  evidently, 
when  his  fraternity  members  had  departed,  Astro 
looked  over  the  little  room  carefully.  The  iron  shut- 
ters were  barred  and  immovable.  There  was  only  one 
safe  means  of  communicating  with  the  prisoner  after 
he  was  left  alone, — by  way  of  the  chimney.  Astro  took 
the  jimmy  from  his  pocket  and  set  to  work  inside  the 


422       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

fireplace,  to  open  a  hole  on  each  side.  Which  of  the 
two  flues  ran  down  into  the  next  floor  it  was  impossible 
to  tell.  He  must  be  ready  for  both.  It  took  two  hours 
of  hard  work  to  get  the  bricks  out ;  but  by  the  time  the 
company  were  racketing  down-stairs  Astro  had  the 
satisfaction  of  perceiving  a  faint  light  deep  down  in 
one  of  the  openings.  It  was  now  only  a  question  of 
waiting  till  Farralon  was  alone,  and  hailing  him.  To 
find  out  what  was  going  on,  he  had  started  down-stairs 
when  he  heard  voices.  A  man  was  still  in  the  larger 
room  speaking  through  the  closed  door  of  the  office. 

"Don't  you  try  and  make  a  row  now,  or  we'll  come 
in  and  make  you  quit !  You  keep  quiet,  Farralon !  I'm 
going  to  turn  in  now.  So  long,  old  man !  Dream  of 
your  bride  and  a  happy  wedding!"  and  after  turning 
the  key  in  the  door  he  rolled  over  on  a  cot  in  the  hall. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  was  snoring. 

Astro  stole  up-stairs  and  put  his  mouth  to  the  hole, 
calling  Farralon.  No  answer  came.  Then  he  sat  down 
on  the  floor,  took  off  his  sock,  and  raveled  out  a  long 
line  of  silk.  Next,  he  wrote  a  short  note,  fastened  the 
paper  into  his  pocket-knife,  and  tied  the  line  to  it.  This 
he  let  cautiously  down  the  hole,  and  jangled  it  softly 
at  the  bottom.  In  a  few  minutes  he  felt  the  line  pulled 
taut.  Farralon  took  the  note,  read  it,  and  came  back. 

"Who's  up  there  ?"  he  called  up  in  a  loud  whisper. 

"A  friend !"  Astro  replied. 

And  thereupon  ensued  a  long  dialogue ;  after  which 
the  Seer  of  Secrets,  chuckling  to  himself  mightily,  stole 
down-stairs  and  out  the  door,  found  his  still  waiting 
taxicab,  and  was  driven  rapidly  back  to  the  city.  It 
was  four  o'clock  when  he  threw  himself,  exhausted,  on 
the  great  couch  in  his  studio. 


VENGEANCE    OF   THE    PI    RHO    NU     423 

At  half  past  nine  that  forenoon,  Astro  and  Valeska 
stood  behind  the  inside  shutters  of  the  parlor  window 
at  number  5652  Lexington  Avenue.  It  was  the  house 
that  Valeska  had  rented  at  the  other  end  of  the  block  in 
which  Miss  Wister  lived. 

A  large  furniture  van  stood  in  front  of  the  door.  A 
long  table  was  on  the  sidewalk,  standing  parallel  to  the 
curb.  Two  men  in  overalls  walked  in  and  out  of  the 
house  occasionally. 

Astro  looked  at  his  watch.  "About  time  for  the 
show,"  he  remarked.  "How  is  Miss  Wister  standing 
the  suspense  ?" 

Valeska  giggled.  "I  don't  think  she  slept  a  wink 
last  night,  and  when  I  got  to  her  this  morning  she  was 
almost  frantic.  I  don't  think  that  even  now  she  con- 
siders herself  safe.  You  see,  she  doesn't  know  you  so 
well  as  I  do.  If  you  told  me  I  was  to  be  married  to- 
day, I'd  believe  it !" 

Astro  turned  to  her  with  a  sudden  look  in  his  eyes. 
"If  I  told  you  that  you  were  to  be  married  next  month, 
would  you  believe  it  ?"  he  demanded. 

"Ah,  but  you're  not  going  to  tell  me  that !"  said  Va- 
leska, putting  away  his  hand  gently.  "But  it  was  im- 
possible to  get  Miss  Wister  to  see  the  funny  side  of  it 
all.  I'm  afraid  that  young  Mr.  Farralon  is  going  to 
have  a  hard  time  getting  some  things  into  her  head." 

"Well,  her  heart  is  accessible,  at  any  rate,"  Astro 
replied.  His  gaze  returned  to  the  window.  "It's  queer 
the  Pi  Rho  Nu  aren't  here.  We  have  mighty  little  time 
to  get  him  ready.  I  believe  they're  going  to  wait  till 
the  last  minute.  No,  by  Jove !  there  they  come  now !" 
He  rapped  on  the  window  sharply  to  the  men  on  the 
sidewalk,  who  immediately  put  their  hands  to  the  table. 


424       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

At  the  other  end  of  the  block,  where  a  long  awning 
stretched  from  the  door  of  the  Wister  house  to  the 
sidewalk  and  a  curious  crowd  had  gathered,  a  large 
red  automobile — number  11115 — had  stopped  just  as  he 
spoke.  It  was  full  of  men.  One  got  out,  then  another, 
then  another.  As  the  fourth,  stepped  on  the  sidewalk, 
however,  there  was  a  sudden  commotion.  A  man 
dropped.  Two  others  seemed  fighting.  They  were 
joined  by  two  more,  who  jumped  from  the  car.  An- 
other dropped,  and  another,  and  then — 

Sprinting  down  the  block  came  a  wild  fantastic 
creature,  half  in  man's  clothes,  half  in  woman's,  with 
ribbons  streaming,  with  short  skirts  flapping,  fighting 
his  way  with  excited  gestures  through  the  passers-by, 
knocking  down  several  as  he  strove.  Behind  him  in- 
stantly followed  the  crowd,  led  by  the  men  who  had 
risen  to  their  feet.  As  the  fugitive  came  up  to  the 
house  where  Astro  and  Valeska  waited,  the  men  on  the 
sidewalk  swung  the  long  table  round  and  the  mob 
dashed  against  the  barrier.  One  or  two  hurdled  it ;  the 
rest  ran  round  the  ends.  But  the  moment's  handicap 
gave  the  fugitive  just  time  to  rush  up  the  front  steps 
and  enter  the  doorway  before  the  doors  were  closed 
and  bolted  behind  him. 

"Quick !  Follow  me !"  exclaimed  Astro.  He  could 
hardly  speak  from  laughter ;  but  the  man  followed  him 
with  curses,  raving  like  a  wild  beast.  Up  three  flights 
of  stairs  they  raced,  entered  a  small  closet,  and  scram- 
bled up  a  ladder. 

"Now  it's  a  plain  track  to  the  scuttle  of  the  Wister 
house,"  said  Astro.  "You'll  find  a  ladder  three  houses 
beyond  here.  You  have  just  eight  minutes  to  dress  in. 
Your  clothes  are  all  laid  out  in  Wister's  room,  and  the 


VENGEANCE    OF   THE    PI    RHO    NU    425 

ring  is  in  the  pocket  of  your  waistcoat.  There'll  be  no 
best  man.  I'll  wait  here  to  make  ready  for  your  get- 
away." 

"My  get-away!"  cried  Farralon  wildly.  "For  heav- 
en's sake !  isn't  it  over  yet  ?  Is  there  any  more  of  this 
confounded  practical  joke?" 

"More!"  said  Astro  smiling.  "You  ought  to  know 
the  capacity  of  the  Pi  Rho  Nu.  There's  a  hack  covered 
with  ribbons  which  I've  had  ready  at  the  door,  and 
there's  a  brass  band  and  a  demonstration  waiting  at 
the  pier  that  will  make  you  feel  as  if  you  were  a  crown 
prince." 

Farralon  wilted.  "Well,  I  guess  I'll  get  what's  com- 
ing to  me  this  time,"  he  said,  grinning  feebly. 

"No,  you  won't.  You'll  escape  on  Miss  Wister's 
account.  I've  got  it  all  fixed.  As  soon  as  you  can, 
after  the  ceremony,  you  and  your  wife  are  to  go  up- 
stairs. Say  you're  going  to  leave  in  the  cab  at  the  door 
in  half  an  hour  and  drive  by  way  of  the  Christopher 
Street  ferry  to  Hoboken.  Then  get  up  to  the  roof, 
come  back  here,  just  as  you  are,  and  I'll  give  you  your 
instructions  ?" 

"But  my  trunks,  and  Kitty's  my  clothes,  and  every- 
thing—" 

"Everything  is  ready  in  that  furniture  van  at  the 
door.  Now  hurry !  You've  wasted  two  minutes !" 

Farralon  darted  across  the  roof  at  reckless  speed. 
Astro  watched,  with  a  lingering  smile,  till  the  groom 
disappeared  over  the  edge  of  the  roof  of  the  third 
house  beyond.  Then  he  descended  into  the  house 
again.  Valeska  was  arranging  a  queer  collection  of 
clothes  in  a  rear  room  up-stairs. 

"Is  everything  ready?"  he  asked. 


426       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

She  burst  out  laughing.  "There's  a  bride's  going- 
away  costume  for  you!"  she  exclaimed,  holding  up  a 
blue  gingham  skirt,  a  purple-checked  blouse,  and  a 
bandana  kerchief. 

"Well,  be  prepared  for  a  quick  change,  then.  I'll  go 
to  the  roof  and  be  ready  to  help  the  bride  down." 

Astro  had  begun  to  be  anxious  by  the  time  the  bridal 
couple  reappeared.  It  was  fully  an  hour  before  he  saw 
the  happy  pair  approach,  clambering  lightly  over  the 
roof.  Then  Farralon  gave  a  whoop,  and  the  two  came 
up  laughing. 

They  laughed  as  she  stumbled  down  the  ladder ;  they 
roared  as — Astro  with  the  bridegroom  in  the  front 
room,  and  Valeska  with  the  bride  in  the  rear — the  pair 
changed  their  clothes  for  the  emigrant  costumes  that 
were  ready.  Then  down-stairs  they  went,  Astro  carry- 
ing two  large  suit  cases  filled  with  the  wedding  clothes. 
At  the  door  he  stopped  them  and  went  to  the  window 
to  reconnoiter.  The  Brigham  automobile  was  still 
standing  at  the  curb,  near  to  the  hack  which  was  fairly 
white  with  ribbons  and  bridal  flags. 

"Take  this  chair  now,"  said  Astro. 

Farralon  took  one  end  of  a  Morris  chair  and  Mrs. 
Farralon  the  other.  There  was  no  one  on  the  sidewalk 
at  this  end  of  the  block,  though  a  crowd  was  collected 
in  front  of  the  Wister  residence,  preparing  for  the  fun 
of  throwing  rice  and  old  shoes.  The  couple  were  un- 
noticed as  they  lifted  the  chair  into  the  van  and  then 
climbed  in  themselves.  The  two  teamsters  followed 
with  the  suit  cases,  and  in  another  minute  the  van  was 
safely  off.  Astro  and  Valeska  waved  a  discreet  adieu 
behind  the  shutters  of  the  empty  house. 


VENGEANCE   OF   THE   PI   RHO   NU    427 

Astro  took  from  his  pocket  a  check  for  a  thousand 
dollars  and  handed  it  to  Valeska.  "I  think  I  deserve 
more  credit  than  the  clergyman,"  he  said.  "But  now 
we  must  follow  them  and  see  how  it  all  comes  out." 


The  members  of  the  Pi  Rho  Nu  had  hurried  to  the 
ferry  as  soon  as  the  bridegroom's  escape  was  suspected. 
They  roamed  all  over  the  boat,  passing  the  furniture 
van  several  times  in  their  search. 

As  soon  as  the  boat  was  in  the  slip  the  gay  fraternity 
hurried  to  the  pier  where  the  Carothian  lay  with  steam 
up.  Here  a  brass  band  was  in  readiness  to  serenade 
the  couple.  The  fraternity  swarmed  aboard  the 
steamer  and  pushed  their  quest  everywhere — save  into 
the  third-class  cabin,  where  the  bridal  couple,  disguised 
as  steerage  passengers,  sat  and  laughed  till  the  gang- 
plank was  raised.  Then  Astro  and  Valeska,  near  the 
baffled  members  of  the  crestfallen  Pi  Rho  Nu,  awaited 
the  denouement. 

Just  before  the  last  line  was  cast  off,  the  couple, 
dressed  perfectly  now,  appeared  at  the  rail  of  the 
promenade  deck,  waving  their  handkerchiefs  merrily. 
A  shout  went  up  from  the  Pi  Rho  Nu. 

Stringer,  who  was  standing  near  Astro,  turned  to 
his  companion.  "Well,"  he  said,  "they  fooled  us,  after 
all.  But  when  he  gets  into  his  stateroom  it'll  look  like 
a  small  grain  elevator.  There's  a  good  ton  of  rice  on 
the  floor  and  in  the  mattresses.  He'll  get  his  on  the 
way  across  !  Hooray  for  the  Pi  Rho  Nu !" 

Valeska  smiled  as  if  she  were  pleased ;  and  also  as  if 
she  were  a  little  envious,  too. 


THE  LADY  IN  TAUPE 

"T^XCUSE  me  if  I  appear  to  patronize  you,"  said 

A  ^  the  young  man,  "but  you  certainly  are  clever." 
He  twisted  up  his  blond  mustache,  nodded  his  head 
slowly,  and  smiled. 

"My  very  dear  sir,"  said  Astro  calmly,  "what  you 
call  my  cleverness  is  the  product  of  innate  gifts,  years 
of  study,  and  infinite  thought  and  contemplation.  You 
are  the  clever  one." 

"How  so  ?"  The  palmist's  client  raised  his  eyebrows, 
as  a  woman  might.  His  deep  blue  eyes  sparkled, 
lighted  with  a  strong  sense  of  humor. 

"Clever  to  have  come  here — for  the  purpose  you 
did.  I  assure  you  that  you  could  have  found  no  bet- 
ter place,  though  I  confess  I  shall  be  sorry  to  have 
my  studio  reproduced.  I  shall  have  to  redecorate  it." 

"•What  do  you  think  I  came  here  for,  then?"  Some 
of  the  self-assurance  had  vanished  from  the  young 
man's  face. 

Astro  looked  about  calmly  and  pointed  with  the 
stem  of  his  narghile  as  he  spoke.  "That  granite  Thoth 
could  be  easily  imitated  in  papier-mache.  One  can  hire 
rugs,  and  pay  for  the  rent  by  advertising  on  the  pro- 
gram. There  should  be  a  door  there,  R.  U.  E.,  of 
course,  and  the  divan  should  be  brought  down  front 
so  that  your  leading  lady  can  sit  on  it  and  look  up  over 

428 


THE    LADY   IN    TAUPE  429 

her  shoulder  when  her  lover  leans  on  the  back  of  it. 
You  can't  escape  that  sort  of  love  scene,  you  know, 
in  a  modern  drama." 

The  young  man  laughed  heartily.  Then  he  said, 
"By  Jove !  you've  struck  it !  I  am  an  actor." 

"No,  you're  not,"  said  Astro.  "You're  a  playwright, 
and  a  successful  one." 

The  young  man  jumped  up  and  banged  his  fist  on 
the  table.  "What  do  you  think  of  that !"  he  exclaimed. 

Astro  smiled  cryptically.  Then,  "With  considerable 
literary  ambition,  as  well." 

His  client  sat  down  again  as  suddenly,  and  stared  at 
the  Seer.  "See  here !  I  want  to  tell  you  something.  I 
had  no  idea  of  coming  to  you  for  advice.  All  I  wanted 
was  local  color,  as  you've  discovered.  I  wanted  hints 
as  to  setting,  props,  and  business.  I  wanted  a  good 
characterization.  And,  by  Jove !  I  wish  you'd  play  my 
Granthope!  But  never  mind  that.  I'd  just  like  to  ask 
you  a  question  about  a  queer  experience  I've  had  lately. 
You've  convinced  me  that  you  know  some  things." 

Astro  handed  him  a  small  silver  box.  "Have  one 
of  my  cigarettes,"  he  said.  "There  are  not  more  than 
four  or  five  hundred  left  in  the  world.  They  were 
given  me  by  an  army  officer  who  once  helped  Diaz. 
Now  go  on  with  your  story." 

"My  name  is  Pinkard,  Lionel  Pinkard,"  said  the 
young  man,  "and,  as  you  discovered,  I  am  a  play- 
wright. I've  written  a  book,  too — that  is,  it's  almost 
finished — and  it's  going  to  make  a  sensation — in  more 
ways  than  one.  Plays  are  all  right  for  making  money ; 
but  half  the  audience  doesn't  know  or  care  who's  the 
author.  I  confess  I  want  fame.  By  Jove!  that  cigar- 
ette is  sweet !  A  bit  too  mild,  though,  for  me.  Well, — 


430        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

let's  see, — it  was  after  A  Run  of  Luck  was  put  on.  I 
was  working  on  The  Chameleon — that  was  when  I 
first  saw  the  Lady  in  Taupe." 

"The  Lady  in  Taupe!"  Astro  repeated  the  phrase 
with  humor. 

"That's  what  I  called  her.  She  always  used  to  wear 
that  color — 'taupe/  you  know — a  sort  of  purplish- 
gray,  something  like  what  they  call  'London  smoke,' 
only  lighter.  A  gown  with  good  lines,  too.  She  always 
wore  it,  usually  with  black  lynx  furs." 

"Where  did  you  see  her?" 

"Everywhere ;  that's  the  funny  part  of  it.  This  very 
day  I  saw  her  breakfasting  at  Mouquin's,  at  the  next 
table.  She's  always  near  me.  About  two  months  ago 
she  began.  I  say  began,  because  it  has  happened  too 
often  to  be  accidental.  She  passed  me  in  the  street. 
Next  day  she  stood  on  a  corner  waiting  for  a  car.  A 
mighty  pretty  girl,  too — small  head — you  know  how 
that  makes  a  girl  look  taller  and  helps  her  figure ;  most 
women  are  built  like  dwarfs  nowadays — deep  brown 
eyes,  a  delicious  mouth,  and  a  touch  of  originality  in 
her  expression  on  account  of  a  small  scar  on  the  left 
side  of  her  chin.  It's  positively  a  beauty-spot,  more 
like  a  dimple  than  a  scar,  and  it  crinkles  up  when  she 
smiles.  Well,  I've  run  into  her  almost  every  day  since 
then — and  she's  never  moved  an  eyelash  to  show  she 
recognized  me.  But  she's  up  to  something.  She's  al- 
ways right  in  my  way  and  never  notices  me.  She's 
got  me  going,  there's  no  doubt  about  that." 

"Have  you  ever  followed  her  ?" 

"Yes,  I  confess  I've  tried  several  times ;  but  she  has 
always  given  me  the  slip,  or  else  I  was  clumsy." 

"Well,  what  do  you  wish  me  to  do  about  it  ?" 


THE   LADY   IN   TAUPE  431 

4 

"I  want  to  know  what  the  lady's  up  to." 

'That's  simple  enough.  She  wants  to  get  an  en- 
gagement." 

"Why  doesn't  she  ask  me,  then  ?" 

"Ah,  no  doubt  she  will.  She  wants  to  make  an  im- 
pression, first.  You  know  what  a  hard  struggle  it  is 
for  a  girl  without  influence  to  get  an  engagement.  She 
wants  to  get  you  curious,  interested.  I  fancy  she's 
heard  you  are  to  have  a  new  play  produced,  and  though 
the  author  doesn't  always  have  much  to  say  as  to  the 
cast,  you  are  established  and  could  probably  help  her." 

"That's  true  enough.  In  my  contracts  I  reserve  a 
power  of  veto  as  to  members  of  the  cast,  and  I  natur- 
ally have  some  weight,  though  there's  a  terrific 
amount  of  influence  in  these  things.  But  it  seems  an 
elaborate  method,  I  must  say!" 

"Well,  I've  heard  of  how  the  girls  have  to  struggle. 
It  strikes  me  she's  clever.  I'm  curious  to  know  what 
she  will  say  when  her  time  comes." 

"So  am  I.   I  hope  she'll  spring  her  trap  soon." 

"And  how  is  your  book  coming  on?" 

"Nearly  finished.  It's  more  or  less  of  an  expose  of 
society,  and  I  hope  will  make  talk.  I'll  send  you  a 
copy;  that  is,  if  your  diagnosis  proves  correct  in  re- 
gard to  the  Lady  in  Taupe.  If  not,  my  dear  Astro,  I 
shall  conclude  you  are  merely  a  clever  guesser." 

The  tone  was  such  that  Astro  could  not  be  offended 
at  the  banter.  He  rose  smilingly  to  show  Pinkard  out. 
The  young  man  gave  Valeska,  who  was  busy  in  the 
waiting-room,  a  sharp  glance  as  he  left. 

"How  did  you  know  he  was  a  playwright?"  she 
asked  the  Master. 


43*        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"I  was  in  my  laboratory  when  he  came  into  the 
room,  and  watched  him  unobserved.  He  took  in  the 
whole  studio  at  a  glance,  very  interestedly.  He  went 
back  to  the  door  to  get  the  effect  as  it  would  appear 
in  a  stage  set,  from  the  orchestra.  He  viewed  it,  as 
few  do,  as  a  whole,  not  in  detail.  Almost  every  one 
who  enters  inspects  the  curios  and  furnishings  one  by 
one.  He  summed  up  the  general  effect.  By  his  ap- 
pearance I  knew  him  to  be  a  man  with  brains.  Few 
men  of  business  can  afford  the  time  for  a  morning 
call,  unless  they  wish  some  definite  information.  He 
had  not  the  appearance  of  the  idle  rich;  yet  he  was 
well-off.  A  literary  man  can  use  his  inventive  faculty 
not  more  than  four  hours  a  day  without  excessive 
fatigue;  consequently  he  has  time  left  in  which  to 
amuse  himself.  And  finally,  when  he  opened  his  coat 
for  a  pencil,  I  saw  a  typewritten  manuscript  in  his  in- 
side pocket." 

"He  might  have  been  an  actor/' 

"It  was  not  a  part  in  a  play  that  he  had;  they're 
bound  up  in  smaller  shape.  Besides,  he  had  none  of 
the  vanity  of  the  actor.  He  was  so  sure  of  himself 
that  he  didn't  feel  the  need  of  impressing  any  one." 

"He  might  have  been  reading  a  play  for  a  friend." 

"The  manuscript  was  full  of  pencil  corrections.  It 
was  not  a  final  draft,  and  would  be  almost  undeci- 
pherable, except  to  the  author.  But,  as  far  as  that  goes, 
almost  every  man  who  writes  has  an  unfinished  play 
up  his  sleeve.  It  was  a  safe  guess." 

"Well,  what  of  the  Lady  in  Taupe,  then  ?  I'm  in- 
terested in  her." 

"What  I  surmised  is  probably  true;  but  I  suspect 
something  deeper  than  that.  It's  a  bit  elaborate,  as  he 


THE    LADY    IN    TAUPE  433 

said.  It's  a  clever  scheme,  and  may  turn  out  to  be  still 
cleverer  than  it  looks." 

"I'd  like  to  have  a  look  at  her.  It  takes  a  woman  to 
read  women." 

"True.  I  believe  it  would  be  amusing  to  have  you 
see  her.  The  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  curious  I  am. 
I'll  tell  you.  I'll  ring  Pinkard  up  and  find  out  what 
he's  going  to  do  to-morrow." 

He  took  up  the  telephone  that  evening  and  had  a 
short  conversation  with  the  playwright.  The  next 
morning  he  said  to  Valeska : 

"Pinkard  will  leave  his  house  on  West  Seventy- 
fifth  Street  to-day  at  about  ten  o'clock,  go  to  Dayton's 
office,  lunch  at  the  Grill  Club,  attend  a  rehearsal  of 
his  play  Wild-fire  at  the  Monster  Theater  in  the  after- 
noon, then  go  to  the  Park  Riding  Academy,  dine  at 
the  Grill  Club,  and  go  to  see  Marlowe  this  evening  at 
the  Broadway.  Knowing  his  itinerary,  you  can't  miss 
him,  and  you'll  probably  see  her,  as  she  hasn't  appeared 
for  two  days,  and  seldom  misses  it  longer  than  that." 


That  evening  Valeska  returned  with  her  report.  "I 
saw  her!"  she  exclaimed  exultantly.  "She's  a  beauty, 
too !  I  liked  her  at  first  sight.  I  followed  him  to  Day- 
ton's office,  and  she  met  him  in  Forty-second  Street, 
almost  the  first  thing." 

"Where  did  she  go?" 

"That's  the  queer  part  of  it.  After  she  had  passed 
him  she  waited  on  the  corner  of  Forty-second  and 
Broadway.  An  automobile  came  along  with  a  lady  in 
it — a  really  swell  girl — stopped,  and  the  Lady  in  Taupe 
got  in.  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?" 


434       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Number  of  the  automobile  ?" 

Valeska  consulted  a  paper  in  her  purse.  "99,954." 

Astro  went  into  the  little  library  in  his  waiting-room 
and  took  down  the  automobile  list  for  the  state  of  New 
York.  He  looked  up  the  number,  and  then  whistled 
softly.  "Why,  that  was  Helen  Van  Amsterdam !" 

Valeska's  eyebrows  rose.   "The  heiress?" 

"It  must  have  been.  That's  the  number  of  the  Van 
Amsterdam's  automobile,  at  least." 

"Then  I  don't  see  why  the  Lady  in  Taupe  should  be 
looking  for  an  engagement,  if  she  has  such  rich 
friends." 

"Oh,  that  doesn't  signify.  But  there's  something 
queer  about  it.  Well,  we  can't  take  any  more  time ;  I 
have  too  many  important  things  to  attend  to.  We'll 
just  file  that  information  for  reference.  We  may  hear 
from  Pinkard  again." 


He  did  hear  from  Pinkard,  in  fact,  within  the  week. 
The  playwright  came  in  one  morning,  as  handsome, 
confident,  and  debonair  as  ever.  He  took  a  new  criti- 
cal look  at  the  studio,  then  sat  down  as  Astro  came  in, 
and  said : 

"Well,  the  Lady  of  Taupe  has  called  on  me  at  last !" 

"Yes?" 

"You  were  quite  right — as  far  as  you  went.  She 
wanted  a  part  in  the  cast  of  The  Chameleon,  and 
waxed  eloquent  over  her  attempts  to  get  an  engage- 
ment. You  should  have  heard  her  talk!  That  girl 
has  magnetism,  all  right.  She  played  as  pretty  a  scene, 
for  an  hour,  in  my  library  as  I've  ever  watched  on  the 
stage.  She  did  imitations  of  Mansfield  and  Cissy  Lof- 


"  She  played  as  pretty  a  scene  in  my  library  as  I've  ever  watched 
on  the  stage." 


THE   LADY   IN   TAUPE  435 

tus  and  Warfield  and  Barrymore;  she  told  dramatic 
little  stories;  she  discussed  the  psychology  of  audi- 
ences, the  technique  of  the  drama,  and  the  very  meta- 
physics of  acting.  I  never  heard  such  talk  in  my  life; 
but — "  He  closed  his  eyes  and  smiled. 

"Ah,  but !"  said  Astro.  "There  was  something  else, 
then?" 

"I  should  say  so!  After  she  had  left,  I  went  into 
my  study,  and  found  that  it  had  been  visited  by  bur- 
glars." 

Astro  betrayed  no  surprise ;  but  his  brows  bent  into 
a  new  tense  curve.  He  leaned  forward  and  looked  at 
Pinkard  intently.  "And  what  was  missing?  Wait!" 
He  suddenly  raised  a  warning  finger.  "Don't  tell  me ! 
I'll  get  it,  perhaps — I  have  a  feeling."  He  dropped  his 
head  into  his  hands  for  a  few  moments,  then  looked  at 
Pinkard  through  half-shut  eyes.  "Not  the  manuscript 
of  your  new  book?" 

Pinkard  slapped  his  hand  on  his  knee.  "By  Jove! 
you've  got  it !  See  here,  you'll  have  to  take  this  on !" 

"Anything  else  gone  ?" 

"Nothing.  I  had  a  little  safe  in  the  wall,  but  it  was 
untouched." 

"A  very  pretty  game,  indeed." 

"Wasn't  it  slick?  Of  course,  she  held  me  there 
while  they  worked  it.  I  can't  imagine  how  they  ever 
got  in,  though.  The  back  door  shows  no  sign  of  hav- 
ing been  forced,  it  was  bolted  on  the  inside.  No  fire- 
escapes  available.  It's  a  small  apartment-house,  and 
rather  old-fashioned.  But  why  any  one  should  want 
that  manuscript,  I  don't  know." 

"You  have  no  other  copy?" 

"No,  I  wrote  it  on  the  typewriter  myself,  and  was 


436       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

too  lazy  to  make  carbon  copies.  I  haven't  even  my 
first  draft  of  the  thing.  And  I  wouldn't  attempt  to 
rewrite  it  for  all  my  hopes  of  fame  and  fortune !  I'm 
no  Carlyle.  I've  simply  got  to  get  it  back !  And  there's 
no  use  going  to  the  police  for  a  thing  like  that,  as  you 
ought  to  know.  If  it  isn't  diamonds  or  money,  they'll 
do  nothing." 

"Tell  me  something  about  the  novel." 

"Why,  I  hadn't  decided  upon  a  name  yet;  but  it 
was  by  way  of  being  a  social  satire.  I've  been  about 
a  good  deal,  you  know,  in  New  York,  and  know  the 
fastest  part  of  the  smart  set,  and  not  a  few  of  the 
others.  It  was  pretty  frank,  an  expose,  really,  as  I 
told  you.  Of  course,  I  have  toned  it  down  in  some 
places  and  raised  things  to  a  higher  power  in  others. 
It's  a  bit  sensational;  but  I've  taken  good  care  to 
change  episodes  and  details  so  that  no  one  of  the 
characters  could  be  identified.  I'm  not  altogether  a 
cad.  But  it's  all  true  to  life;  what  might  happen  any 
day  in  New  York,  and  seen  from  the  inside,  too." 

"How  many  people  know  that  you  were  writing  it  ?" 

"Oh,  I've  made  no  secret  of  it.  Any  one  who  wanted 
to  could  have  found  out." 

"Very  well.  I'll  be  up  this  afternoon  to  look  about. 
The  Lady  in  Taupe  called  in  the  evening,  I  take  it?" 

"Yes,  at  about  eight  o'clock.  I'm  seldom  in  at  that 
hour.  I  can't  imagine  how  she  should  know  I  was  at 
home.  Funny  thing,  too,  I  have  almost  always  met 
her  in  the  forenoon,  usually  within  a  half-hour  of  the 
time  I  left  my  flat." 

"Did  you  promise  her  a  place  in  The  Chameleon?" 

"Why,  I  said  I'd  do  what  I  could.  She  interested 
me,  and  might  go  well  for  my  heavy  woman,  though 


THE   LADY    IN    TAUPE  437 

a  bit  too  young.  But  of  course,  now,  I'll  see  that  she 
doesn't  get  in.  It's  not  likely  that  she'll  let  me  see  her 
again,  anyway." 

"On  the  contrary,"  said  Astro,  "you'll  see  her  as 
much  as  ever." 

Astro  and  Valeska  called  at  the  Vanberg  apart- 
ments that  afternoon  at  three  o'clock  and  went  care- 
fully over  Pinkard's  rooms.  To  Valeska's  surprise, 
their  call  lasted  only  fifteen  minutes,  and  then  Astro, 
pleading  another  engagement,  took  his  leave.  She  did 
not  question  him,  being  busy  trying  to  puzzle  out  the 
mystery  for  herself ;  but,  when  he  stopped  at  the  front 
door  down-stairs  and  rang  the  janitor's  bell,  she  gave 
a  little  cry  of  triumph. 

"Oh,  I  begin  to  see !"  she  exclaimed. 

"I  should  hope  so!  It's  too  ridiculously  simple. 
Half  the  flat  burglaries  in  New  York  are  done  that 
way." 

"But  who  helped  ?   She  couldn't  do  it  alone." 

"That's  what  we'll  have  to  make  sure  of.  I  can 
only  guess,  just  now.  But  here's  the  janitor.  Have 
you  any  flats  to  rent  in  the  building?" 

The  janitor  looked  them  over  before  replying. 
"Well,  there's  a  party  wants  to  move  out  if  she  can 
find  a  good  tenant  to  sublet  to,"  he  said. 

"May  we  see  the  apartment?" 

"She's  not  in,  I  think ;  but  I  guess  it'll  be  all  right. 
She's  in  a  great  hurry  to  rent,  and  I  promised  to  help 
her.  It's  up  on  the  third  floor." 

Valeska  pressed  Astro's  arm  in  glee.  Pinkard  lived 
on  the  third  floor !  They  were  taken  up,  and  the  door 
unlocked. 


43^'       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"She's  been  here  only  a  little  while,"  said  the  jani- 
tor. "She  didn't  move  in  all  her  furniture;  but  you 
can  get  an  idea  what  the  place  is  like." 

They  walked  rapidly  through  the  place.  Only  one 
room  was  fitted  up,  and  that  but  scantily,  with  only 
the  requisites.  The  kitchen  contained  a  few  utensils, 
and  it  was  evident  that  the  occupant  of  the  apartment 
took  her  meals  outside.  Astro  walked  to  the  dumb- 
waiter and  lifted  the  sliding  door.  Opposite,  only 
three  feet  away,  was  the  corresponding  door  into 
Pinkard's  kitchen.  A  glance  at  Valeska  was  hardly 
necessary.  She  nodded  her  head  emphatically. 

"Who  lives  here  ?"  Astro  asked. 

"A  Miss  Demming.  She's  an  actress,  I  hear.  A 
pretty  girl  she  is,  too." 

"Well,  I'll  come  and  see  her.  Much  obliged,  I'm 
sure." 

"Do  you  think  you  will  take  it  ?"  the  janitor  asked. 

"I'm  afraid  it's  too  small,"  said  the  Seer,  as  they 
went  out. 

They  were  hesitating  in  the  vestibule,  and  the  jani- 
tor had  left  them,  when  Valeska  exclaimed,  "Why, 
there  she  is  now !" 

Astro  looked  out.  A  very  pretty  woman  was  walk- 
ing toward  them.  By  Pinkard's  description  alone  he 
would  have  known  her,  even  in  her  spring  costume, 
for  the  Lady  in  Taupe.  She  held  her  head  erect,  ran 
up  the  steps,  and,  as  they  made  way  for  her,  entered 
the  vestibule.  Astro  turned  in  time  to  see  her  open 
the  letter-box  of  the  third-floor  suite.  She  took  a  key 
from  her  pocketbook,  unlocked  the  door,  and  went  up- 
stairs without  looking  behind  her. 
.  "Which,"  said  Astro,  smiling,  "explains  how  she  is 


THE   LADY   IN    TAUPE  439 

able  to  know  so  easily  when  Pinkard  is  at  home,  and 
when  he  leaves  to  walk  abroad." 

"And  how  the  flat  was  entered  while  she  held  him 
spellbound  with  her  talk,"  added  Valeska. 

"But  not  how  she  is  able  to  afford  an  eighty-five- 
dollar  a  month  flat  when  she's  out  of  a  job,"  Astro 
scowled. 

"Nor  who  it  was  who  climbed  across  the  shaft,  en- 
tered Pinkard's  kitchen,  and  ransacked  his  study." 

Astro  finished,  "For  further  particulars  I  think  we'll 
have  to  apply  to  Miss  Van  Amsterdam." 

"Oh !"  said  Valeska. 

"I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  Pinkard  was  once  engaged 
to  Miss  Van  Amsterdam.  She  threw  him  over  in  a 
particularly  nasty  way  two  years  ago,  when  she  was 
engaged  for  a  time  to  Count  Vinola." 

"How  did  you  find  that  out  ?" 

"The  steward  of  the  Grill  Club  owns  a  half  interest 
in  the  Peerless  Restaurant,  though  few  of  the  mem- 
bers know  it.  I  lunched  there  this  noon,  and  gave  him 
some  tips  on  the  stock  market.  Now  that  Mr.  Calen- 
don  is  a  power  in  Wall  Street,  he  doesn't  forget  his 
friends.  The  steward  was  duly  grateful,  and  told  me 
several  interesting  things.  I  shall  cultivate  him  in  the 
future." 

"Ah!"  Valeska  looked  up,  smiling.  "So  Miss  Van 
Amsterdam  was  afraid  of  being  exposed  in  his  book, 
was  she?  Well,  I  hope  she'll  read  the  manuscript 
quickly." 

"Yes,"  said  Astro,  as  they  walked  back  to  the  stu- 
dio, "I  hardly  think  it  will  be  necessary  for  us  to  do 
anything  more.  I  venture  to  make  a  prophecy.  The 
Lady  in  Taupe  will  call  on  Pinkard  again  within  three 


440       THE    MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

days,  and  the  manuscript  will  be  returned.  See  if  I'm 
not  right.  I'm  going  to  write  Pinkard  to  that  effect 
to-night,  and  enclose  my  bill  for  one  hundred  dollars." 


It  was  four  days  afterward  when  Pinkard  made  his 
third  appearance  at  the  studio,  smiling  broadly.  "By 
Jove,  Astro !"  he  said,  "I  wish  really  you'd  tell  me  how 
you  did  it!  I  need  it  for  my  play.  I'll  swear  it's  too 
much  for  me!" 

"Well,  what  happened?" 

"I  don't  see  why  I  need  tell  you,  by  Jove !"  Pinkard 
shook  his  head.  "You've  certainly  got  your  crystal 
ball  well  trained.  I  wish  I  could  make  my  character 
Granthope  as  sensational  as  you  are.  I've  got  your  stu- 
dio all  right;  but  I  think  I'll  have  to  get  you  to  take 
the  part.  You  could  make  an  audience  believe  any- 
thing. Of  course  I  got  the  manuscript  back,  as  you 
said  I  should." 

"Is  your  play  cast  yet?" 

Pinkard  laughed  outright.  "Part  of  it.  What  do 
you  think?  We've  signed  the  Lady  in  Taupe  for  the 
heavy  woman,  after  all.  She's  an  adventuress,  all 
right!  Talk  about  romance  in  every-day  life!  She 
made  a  grandstand  play  with  me  for  fair!" 

"Do  tell  me  about  it." 

"Well,  last  night  she  turned  up  again,  as  bold  as 
brass.  I  taxed  her  with  being  accessory  to  a  felony, 
and  she  only  laughed,  by  Jove !  She  swore  it  was  all 
a  joke,  just  to  awaken  my  interest  in  her,  and  then  she 
promised  that  the  manuscript  would  be  returned  if  I 
gave  her  a  part.  Well,  the  audacity  of  it  tickled  me 
just  enough  to  accept.  I  wanted  to  see  if  it  was  a 


THE    LADY   IN    TAUPE  441 

bluff.  And  what  do  you  think  ?  She  said,  as  soon  as  I 
consented  to  the  bargain,  that  I'd  find  the  manuscript 
on  my  study  table.  I  raced  in  immediately,  and  there 
it  was  !  Here's  your  hundred  dollars.  You're  a  wizard. 
Sometimes  I  suspect  that  you  were  in  cahoots  with  the 
Lady  in  Taupe  and  planned  the  whole  thing  yourself. 
But  who  on  earth  is  she,  anyway  ?" 

Astro  chuckled  good-naturedly.  "I'm  not  wise 
enough  to  know  that.  She  is  certainly  clever,  though. 
If  you  hadn't  engaged  her,  I  think  I  should." 

"Well,"  said  Pinkard,  rising  to  take  his  leave,  "there 
are  tricks  in  all  trades,  they  say.  I  won't  inquire  into 
yours;  but  if  I  want  any  more  sleuthing  done,  I'll 
know  where  to  go.  I'll  certainly  send  you  a  box  for  the 
opening  night  of  The  Chameleon.  I'm  going  to  re- 
write that  part  for  the  Lady  in  Taupe,  by  Jove!  It 
wasn't  half  good  enough  for  her  as  it  was." 


"Well,  Valeska,"  said  Astro,  "that  proves  again  the 
value  of  a  knowledge  of  human  nature  plus  a  friend 
'below  stairs.'  I  fancy  Miss  Van  Amsterdam  must  have 
a  rather  guilty  conscience  to  be  so  afraid  of  the  reve- 
lations of  Pinkard's  book.  She  certainly  secured  a 
clever  assistant  in  the  Lady  in  Taupe.  It  must  have 
cost  nearly  a  thousand  dollars  to  put  that  little  game 
through.  I'd  rather  like  to  know,  though,  whether  it 
was  the  heiress  herself  who  crawled  through  the  door 
across  the  shaft.  At  any  rate,  it  was  lucky  for  Pinkard 
that  he  wasn't  a  cad,  as  he  said.  I'm  afraid  his  book 
would  have  never  seen  the  light,  else." 

Valeska  placed  her  hand  lightly  on  the  Seer's  shoul- 
der. "But  you  didn't  mean — I  mean,  you  wouldn't 


442        THE    MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

really  have  engaged  the  Lady  in  Taupe  as  your  assist- 
ant— would  you?" 

His  answer  was  not  in  words ;  but  Valeska  was  ap- 
parently satisfied.  It  was  evident  that  she  had  no 
longer  a  fear  of  any  such  dilemma. 


MRS.  STELLERY'S  LETTERS 

"OHE  must  be  a  beautiful  woman,  Mrs.  Stellery," 

O  said  Astro. 

Stellery  looked  a  little  embarrassed.  He  pulled  his 
blond  mustache  thoughtfully.  "Why — ah — yes ;  I  used 
to  think  so,  when  I  first  marrried  her.  One  gets  used  to 
a  face,  you  know." 

"I  see.  Still  your  wife  must  be  charming.  At  least, 
her  anonymous  correspondent  seems  to  think  so.  He 
is  certainly  very  complimentary.  See  here,"  the  Seer 
picked  up  one  of  the  letters  from  the  bunch  on  the 
table,  opened  it,  and  read  aloud: 

"It  may  sound  banal  to  say  you're  pretty,  and 
yet  every  woman  likes  to  know  that  she  is.  You're 
far  more;  you  have  an  original  type  of  beauty. 
One  watches  for  your  smile,  hoping  it  will  come 
soon.  And  that  constellation  of  dimples  in  your 
cheeks !" 

Stellery  laughed  faintly.  "Just  about  the  way  I  used 
to  talk,"  he  acknowledged.  "When  I  first  courted  her 
I  was  quite  poetical  about  those  dimples, — named 
every  one  after  a  different  star,  I  believe.  Queer  this 
chap  has  picked  up  the  same  idea,  though." 

It  was  on  Astro's  lips  to  say  that  the  simile  was  as 
old  as  woman's  love  and  man's,  but  he  did  not.  He 
turned  to  another  letter,  typewritten  like  the  other. 

443 


444       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"You're  like  a  little  gray  mouse.  I  wonder  if 
there  is  any  lurking  devil  in  you  for  me  to  evoke? 
With  your  gray  eyes  you  look  so  demure!  Are 
you  really  as  quiet  as  you  seem  ?  I'd  like  to  have 
a  talk  with  you  alone  and  see !" 

"She  has  a  devil  in  her,  all  right,"  remarked  Stel- 
lery,  "and  a  delicious  enough  one,  too!  Oh,  she  can 
be  charming,  that  mouse!  It's  very  evident  that  the 
fellow  who's  writing  these  letters  doesn't  know  her 
very  well.  That's  one  satisfaction." 

Astro  took  up  one  more. 

"I  saw  you  at  the  opera  last  night.  You  had 
more  style,  more  apparent  culture,  more  caste, 
than  any  woman  in  the  house.  Once  you  looked 
full  at  me,  and  I  wondered  what  it  would  seem 
like  to  have  a  wife  like  you.  To  own  you,  and  be 
owned  by  so  wonderful  a  creature!  How  proud 
I'd  be!" 

"I  remember  that  night.  Mrs.  Stellery  does  look 
well  when  she's  dressed  up.  But  curse  such  audacity ! 
Writing  to  my  wife  like  that !  It's  an  outrage,  by  Jove ! 
You'll  see  why  I  don't  care  to  go  to  the  police  with 
these  letters.  But  they  must  be  stopped,  and  I  must 
find  out  who's  doing  it !" 

"How  long  has  this  thing  been  going  on  ?" 

"For  two  months,  now.  I  have  a  bunch  more  of  'em 
at  home  that  my  wife  gave  me." 

The  letters  on  the  table  were  all  written  on  tele- 
graph blanks  and  enclosed  in  government-stamped 
envelopes. 

"All  typewritten  like  these?" 

"No;  the  first  ones  were  crudely  printed  in  pencil, 
as  if  a  child  had  done  them." 


MRS.    STELLERY'S    LETTERS          445 

"And  all  of  them  complimentary?" 

"Every  one  of  them." 

"How  often  do  they  come?" 

"Every  two  or  three  days.  Mrs.  Stellery  has  been 
away  visiting  in  Philadelphia  the  last  three  weeks,  and 
they  followed  her  down  there.  She  brought  back  a 
whole  lot  of  them  to  show  to  me." 

"Did  she  show  you  the  first  one  when  it  came?" 

Mr.  Stellery  considered  the  question  a  little. 

"No,  not  for  some  time;  not  till  she  had  received 
several,  in  fact.  At  first  she  didn't  want  to  worry  me, 
she  said ;  then  she  decided  that  I  ought  to  know  about 
them,  anyway.  Some  of  the  first  ones  were  left  in  the 
letter-box,  but  most  of  them  have  been  sent  through 
the  mails." 

"Does  Mrs.  Stellery  seem  to  be  much  worried  at  re- 
ceiving them?" 

"Decidedly.  Of  course,  it  isn't  as  if  they  were  as  un- 
pleasant as  anonymous  letters  sometimes  are.  But  she 
didn't  want  me  to  go  to  you  about  them,  and  thought 
that  they'd  stop  coming  after  a  while.  In  point  of  fact 
she  hasn't  had  any  this  week ;  but  I  want  to  find  out 
who's  responsible  for  them ;  and,  from  what  I've  heard 
of  you,  you're  the  one  to  do  it." 

"I  see."  Astro  let  his  chin  fall  into  his  palms  and 
stared  at  the  table  in  silence  for  some  time. 

Stellery  walked  up  and  down,  examining  the  fur- 
nishings of  the  studio.  He  picked  up  a  gold  stiletto 
and  fingered  it,  walked  to  the  wall  and  looked  at  an 
antique  bit  of  tapestry,  smiled  at  Astro's  white  lizard 
in  its  cage,  and  returned  to  the  Seer,  who  looked  up 
to  say: 

"It's  queer  that  a  man  who  professes  to  admire  her 


446       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

so  much  doesn't  have  the  courage  to  tell  her  so,  isn't 
it?"  He  watched  Stellery  between  half-closed  lids. 

"You  don't  know  her.  My  wife  is  a  very  proud 
woman.  She'd  not  stand  for  it  a  minute,  I'm  sure  of 
that.  This  chap  has  some  romantic  notion,  or  he  wants 
to  make  trouble.  It  seems  to  me  the  letters  are  a  bit 
too  literary  in  style,  as  if  he  were  used  to  composition. 
And  what  he  says  is  true,  too !  How  does  he  know  my 
wife  has  dimples  in  her  shoulders,  by  Jove  ?  How  does 
he  know  how  she  looks  in  an  Egyptian  scarf?  She 
hasn't  worn  one  since  her  honeymoon  when  I  got  one 
in  Cairo.  Why,  I  might  have  written  those  letters  my- 
self!  Little  intimate  details  that  make  my  blood  boil 
to  think  of  another  man's  knowing!  Little  tricks  she 
has  I  didn't  think  any  one  else  had  ever  noticed !  It's 
amazing !" 

"Are  you  home  much  of  the  time?"  Astro  asked, 
stacking  the  letters  into  a  pile  on  the  table. 

"Not  much;  that  is,  until  lately.  I'm  a  busy  man, 
and  when  I'm  at  home  I  try  to  get  rid  of  some  of  my 
outside  work.  I  have  a  den  down  next  to  my  library, 
and  often  spend  the  whole  evening  there.  I've  been 
trying  to  get  together  a  lot  of  information  on  the  his- 
tory of  Wall  Street  coups,  and  it  takes  about  all  my 
spare  time.  All  the  relaxation  I  get,  really,  is  in  bridge 
at  the  Percentage  Club.  Why?"  He  stopped  and 
darted  a  look  at  Astro. 

"Oh,  I  only  wondered  how  much  time  your  wife 
had  to  herself." 

Stellery  wheeled  on  him.  "See  here!  I  hope  that's 
no  insinuation!  My  wife  is  above  suspicion,  you  un- 
derstand that!  Good  lord!  why  should  she  show  me 
these  letters,  if  she  weren't?" 


MRS.    STELLERY'S    LETTERS          447 

/ 

"Oh,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Astro  suavely,  "don't  take 
it  that  way !  I  was  wondering  if  any  one  were  watch- 
ing her,  following  her.  Nevertheless,  I  should  like  to 
know,  also,  just  whom  she  sees,  and  where,  and  how. 
You  have  given  me  a  difficult  task,  Mr.  Stellery,  and 
you  must  forgive  me  if  I  seem  curious.  But  I  pre- 
sume I  shall  get  it  all  better  in  my  own  way.  You 
don't  mind  my  calling  on  Mrs.  Stellery,  I  imagine?" 

"Why,  of  course  not.  She'll  be  glad  to  see  you,  I 
suppose.  But,  of  course,  it's  a  delicate  matter,  and  she's 
naturally  sensitive." 

"Very  good."  Astro  rose,  tall  and  distinguished.  A 
yeil  seemed  to  be  drawn  before  his  eyes,  masking  all 
expression;  as  if,  having  learned  all  he  could  of  his 
client,  he  was  anxious  to  be  alone  to  solve  the  problem. 

Stellery  seemed  to  feel  the  change  of  atmosphere. 
He  reached  for  his  hat,  shook  hands,  and  left  the 
studio. 

"How  do  you  diagnose  him,  Valeska?"  Astro  asked 
his  assistant,  who  had  overheard  the  talk. 

"A  clever  man,  absorbed  in  business,  a  bit  cruel,  or 
at  least  inclined  to  be  cold  and  unsympathetic,  and 
yet  honorable  and  loyal  at  heart.  I'd  hate  to  be  in  love 
with  him !  He'd  make  me  suffer.  And  you  ?" 

Astro  smiled  cryptically.  "You  work  from  your 
feelings ;  I  from  my  facts,"  he  said.  "Fortunately,  we 
often  come  out  in  the  same  place.  But,  speaking  of 
facts,  try  and  see  what  you  can  make  of  these  letters. 
It's  an  amusing  complication,  and  a  new  variation  of 
the  anonymous  letter." 

Valeska  sat  down  and  looked  over  the  pile.  As  she 
examined  them  one  by  one  and  threw  them  into  a 


448        THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

heap  to  begin  over  again,  she  kept  up  a  running  com- 
mentary. "Mostly  stamped  at  the  Madison  Square 
branch  post-office.  A  few  at  Station  E — that's  on  West 
Thirty-second  Street,  isn't  it?  One  or  two  at  Times 
Square  branch,  and  one  at  Station  I,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Street.  All  but  that  one  mailed  in  the  early 
afternoon.  Written  on  a  Rem-Smith  typewriter;  a 
pretty  old  one,  I  should  say,  for  the  alignment  is  bad. 
All  the  small  "o's"  register  below  the  line,  and  all  the 
capital  "N's"  above  it.  And  I  should  say  that  the  writer 
is  not  in  love  with  her ;  only  pretending." 

"How  do  you  make  that  out?"  Astro  smiled  curi- 
ously. 

"I  can  feel  it." 

"Too  literary?" 

"Oh,  I  can't  explain  it.  Only,  I  know  if  I  got  letters 
like  this  I'd  throw  them  in  the  fire.  'Your  gracile 
hands!'— bosh!" 

"Yes,  I  noticed  'gracile/  It  seems  to  be  his  pet 
word.  Also  'jimp/  Queer  love-letters — I  agree  with 
you." 

"Love-letters !  They're  deeper  than  that !" 

"You're  right,  and  there  is  small  possibility  of  find- 
ing the  author  unless  we  discover  the  motive  first. 
There  are  thousands  of  persons  who  might  write  these 
letters.  What  I  have  to  decide  is,  why  should  any  one 
of  them  do  it?  It  may  be  a  mere  practical  joke.  If 
that's  so,  it  would  be  done  by  some  one  who  can  watch 
the  effect  upon  her.  In  any  case,  I  take  it  that  it  must 
be  some  one  who  knows  her.  What  good  could  it  do 
a  stranger?" 

"What  good  could  it  do  a  friend  or  an  acquaint- 
ance?" 


MRS.    STELLERY'S   LETTERS          449 

"Flatter  a  woman  with  all  sorts  of  intimate  original 
compliments, — not  spoken,  so  that  she  would  have  to 
blush,  deny,  and  reprove ;  but  written,  so  that  she  could 
read  and  reread  them  in  secret  as  often  as  she  liked, — 
arouse  her  curiosity,  a  powerful  ally ;  her  sense  of  the 
romantic,  a  still  stronger  one,  and  finally  unmask  your- 
self as  the  adorer; — I  don't  know  that  it's  so  bad  a 
way,  after  all." 

"Unless  you  try  it  on  a  woman  who  shows  all  the 
letters  to  her  husband,"  said  Valeska  dryly. 

"Yes ;  but  how's  the  writer  to  know  she  will  ?  He's 
probably  conceited  enough  to  think  she  won't." 

"There's  one  other  way  of  discovering  the  writer, — 
find  a  Rem- Smith  typewriter  with  an  alignment  im- 
perfect in  just  this  way." 

"Yes,"  said  Astro.  "We  might  begin  and  fine-tooth- 
comb  the  city  for  it.  Still,  accidents  do  happen,  luck- 
ily for  prophets  and  seers.  And,  at  any  rate,  that  will 
be  the  final  proof.  Well,  I'm  going  to  reread  the 
whole  bunch,  look  for  some  unifying  theory — and  then 
call  on  the  lady.  I  confess  I'm  curious  to  see  her." 


Mrs.  Stellery,  he  was  to  find,  was  a  woman  of  by  no 
means  an  obvious  type.  Outwardly,  it  is  true,  she 
manifested  social  grace  and  experience,  was  handsome 
rather  than  beautiful,  with  a  dark  serious  face  and 
finely-chiseled  features.  One  would  call  her  aristo- 
cratic in  looks  and  manner,  and  yet  behind  the  con- 
ventional aspects  in  which  she  showed  herself  in  com- 
pany, a  keen  observer  would  note  subtlety  after  sub- 
tlety. That  she  had  a  fine  mind  and  a  fearless  one, 
was  occasionally  proved  by  the  flashes  of  wit  and  per- 


450       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

spicacity  that  illumined  her  conversation  and  colored 
what  might  otherwise  be  a  rather  bored  and  repressed, 
though  perfectly  polite  habit  of  talk.  She  seemed 
aloof,  waiting  for  something  interesting,  all  but  ef- 
fete. Her  smile  was  elusive ;  but,  when  it  came  forth, 
compelling,  captivating,  and  as  soon  as  it  had  created 
that  impression,  it  faded  and  the  weary  manner  as- 
serted itself  again.  Only  the  mouth  was  tempera- 
mental. The  gray  eyes  were  well  schooled,  though 
velvety  soft.  She  had  a  trick  of  half  raising  one  eye- 
brow, which  gave  a  whimsical  relief  to  her  haughty 
pose.  One  could  fancy  her  always  playing  a  part  and 
wonder  what  the  real  woman  would  be  like.  Not  very 
different  from  other  women,  after  all,  if  one  judged  by 
the  quivering  lips. 

This,  at  least,  is  the  way  Astro  described  the  wom- 
an to  Valeska  later.  He  was  waiting  in  the  reception- 
room,  looking  at  a  novel  entitled  The  Guerdon,  when 
Mrs.  Stellery  entered,  one  brow  delicately  arched,  as 
if  she  had  not  been  quite  sure  whom  she  was  to  find. 

He  introduced  himself,  and  for  a  moment  she 
seemed  embarrassed  and  turned  the  conversation  to 
the  novel. 

"Have  you  read  it?"  she  asked.  "I  met  the  author. 
Mr.  Askerson,  lately  in  Philadelphia  at  a  dinner,  and 
he  sent  me  the  book.  I  saw  him  only  twice;  but  he 
seemed  quite  an  extraordinary  man." 

Astro  turned  to  the  title  page,  and  before  rinding 
it  noticed  the  inscription  on  the  fly-leaf,  "Viola  Stel- 
lery :  Her  Book,"  a  quaint-enough  wording  to  arouse 
his  smile.  "A  problem?"  he  asked. 

"Love  after  marriage — the  modern  theme,"  she  re- 
plied. 


MRS.   STELLERY'S    LETTERS          451 

"I'd  like  to  know  his  solution." 

She  merely  smiled.  It  was  her  only  smile  during  the 
interview,  and  the  talk  passed  to  the  letters. 

She  had  no  idea,  she  said,  why  she  was  being  so 
persecuted.  The  letters  were  stupid,  and  apparently 
meaningless,  yet  they  annoyed  her.  Their  audacity 
had  now  begun  to  worry  her,  as  well.  If  anything 
could  be  done  to  stop  them,  she  would  be  glad.  Yes, 
they  had  ceased  coming,  for  the  time  being,  and  per- 
haps it  would  be  as  well  to  wait  and  do  nothing;  but 
now  Mr.  Stellery  himself  was  aroused  and  wished  the 
matter  investigated.  He  was  too  busy  with  his  press 
of  work  to  spend  much  time  on  the  matter.  He  was  a 
very  busy  man.  Quite  absorbed  in  his  work — and  she 
had  hoped  to  go  abroad  with  him  in  the  spring.  At 
present  it  seemed  impossible.  And  so  on  the  talk  ran, 
while  her  expression  said,  "What  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it?  I  don't  care!" 

Then  a  card  was  brought  in,  and  she  said,  "It  is  Doc- 
tor Primfield,  my  husband's  brother-in-law,  you  know. 
Married  Paul's  sister,  who  died  two  years  ago.  He's 
a  physician.  We  see  a  good  deal  of  him." 

She  did  not  add,  "and  he  bores  me" ;  but  the  merest 
drag  in  her  words  implied  it.  In  another  minute  the 
doctor  came  bruskly  in. 

He  was  a  nervous,  slim,  snapping-eyed  man  of 
thirty-five,  with  a  jerky  way  of  speaking  and  moving. 
He  said,  "Hello,  Lila !"  shook  hands,  bowed  to  Astro, 
and  looked  at  him  with  a  professional  eye,  seemed  to 
decide  that  the  palmist  was  all  right,  flapped  himself 
into  a  seat,  screwed  his  feet  round  the  legs  of  a  chair, 
and  began  to  talk  very  fast  to  his  hostess,  ignoring 
Astro. 


452       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Mrs.  Stellery  endeavored  to  include  both  guests  in 
the  conversation  but  found  it  difficult.  Astro,  seeing 
that  he  was  in  the  way,  at  least  of  the  doctor,  withdrew 
and  went  back  to  his  studio. 

On  the  way  he  stopped  at  a  bookstore  and  bought  a 
copy  of  The  Guerdon.  Dipping  into  it,  walking  down 
Fifth  Avenue,  he  came  across  a  sentence,  reread  it, 
shut  the  book  with  a  snap,  and  walked  home  thinking. 

Arrived  at  the  studio,  he  laid  the  book  open  at  the 
page  he  had  read,  before  Valeska. 

"  'She  laid  her  soft  gracile  hands,  palms  down,  on 
the  table/  "  she  read  aloud,  and  looked  up.  "Did  you 
find 'jimp',  too?" 

"You'll  have  to  read  the  book  and  see,"  was  his  an- 
swer. And  then  he  described  the  interview.  "If  you 
find  'jimp'  and  'nuance/ — for  there  are  several 
'nuances'  in  the  letters, — I  think  it  would  be  well  for 
you  to  apply  to  Askerson  for  a  position  as  secretary. 
Only  on  the  chance,  a  slim  enough  one, — but  all  we 
have  at  present.  But  Stellery  is  right;  the  letters  do 
sound  literary,  though  Mrs.  Stellery  is  wrong — they 
are  by  no  means  stupid.  If  I  could  only  think  of  a 
motive  for  a  man  like  Askerson  doing  such  a  senti- 
mental thing!" 

"He  might  want  to  see  what  she'd  do,  and  use  the 
episode  in  fiction." 

"Yes,  that's  the  trouble.  Men  have  many  motives, 
and  often  several  at  a  time,  really  mixed.  Women  sel- 
dom act  except  with  a  single  definite  motive,  no  mat- 
ter how  they  conceal  it  or  even  pretend  to  themselves 
that  it's  different.  I  wonder  if  the  author  could  pos- 
sibly be  Doctor  Primfield." 

"Why  Doctor  Primfield  more  than  another?" 


MRS.    STELLERY'S    LETTERS          453 

Astro  laughed.  "There  doesn't  seem  to  be  any  other, 
yet;  and  there  was  something  queer  in  the  way  he 
looked  at  her." 

"How  did  he  look  at  her?" 

"This  way/' 

But  Valeska,  seeing  too  well  what  was  in  his  eyes, 
turned  away  her  own.  "Well,  I'll  read  the  book/'  she 
remarked,  leaving. 

"And  I'll  read  the  letters  again." 


There  were,  Valeska  found,  three  "graciles,"  one 
"jimp,"  and  two  "nuances"  in  Askerson's  novel.  In 
connection  with  their  recurrence  in  the  letters,  the  coin- 
cidence might  mean  anything  or  nothing.  What  was 
more  important  was  to  get  a  sample  of  Askerson's 
typewriting ;  and  to  this  end  Valeska,  in  the  guise  of  a 
stenographer  in  search  of  work,  visited  him. 

She  found  Askerson  to  be  the  farthest  removed  from 
her  preconceived  idea  of  a  novelist.  He  was  a  short, 
round,  and  chubby,  seraphic-looking  young  man,  with 
light  curly  hair  and  the  mien  of  a  preternaturally  sol- 
emn child.  His  earnestness  seemed  absurd  masquerad- 
ing in  this  juvenile  guise;  but,  once  that  inconsistency 
was  forgotten,  under  the  spell  of  his  mental  power,  she 
found  him  a  most  interesting  man.  He  was  in  the 
midst  of  his  work,  dressed  in  a  pink  silk  shirt  and 
white  duck  trousers,  his  hair  a  mass  of  light  wavy 
locks  over  his  eyes,  smoking  a  brier  pipe. 

He  assured  her  that,  though  he  would  like  to  em- 
ploy a  secretary,  he  could  not  afford  it.  Besides,  he 
was  engaged  in  dramatizing  The  Guerdon,  and  had 
to  work  it  out  himself  on  his  machine,  inch  by  inch. 


454       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

He  had  to  refuse  her  request;  but  seemed  willing  to 
talk. 

Valeska  had  prepared  for  the  interview  by  reading 
everything  of  Askerson's  that  she  could  find.  Among 
other  books,  she  had  discovered  a  slim  book  of  poems, 
privately  printed  during  his  college  days.  As  a  last 
resort,  she  used  this,  hoping  to  play  upon  the  vanity 
of  the  poet  in  him. 

"I  heard  a  girl  once  recite  one  of  your  poems ;  Sea 
Magic,  I  think  it  was  called.  Do  you  know  where  I 
could  get  a  copy  of  it  ?" 

He  seemed  pleased.  "I  didn't  know  any  one  remem- 
bered that  verse,"  he  said.  "It's  one  of  my  favorites. 
If  you'll  wait,  I'll  see  if  I  can  remember  it.  I'll  type- 
write it  for  you,  if  you  like."  He  sat  down  to  his  ma- 
chine, puckered  his  brows,  and  began  to  write.  He 
paused  once  in  a  while  in  search  of  a  phrase,  which  he 
usually  found  by  a  hard  glare  at  the  ceiling,  and  finally 
finished  it  and  presented  her  with  the  sheet. 

"Would  you  mind  signing  it?"  she  asked  timidly. 

He  put  his  name  and  a  flourish  at  the  bottom  of  the 
page. 

She  could  scarcely  wait  till  she  was  in  the  car  to  ex- 
amine the  printing.  The  small  "o's"  registered  a  little 
below  the  lines;  but  the  capital  "N's"  were  in  true 
alignment. 

Astro  shrugged  his  shoulders  when  he  saw  it,  and 
pointed  silently  with  the  stem  of  his  narghile  to  the 
word  "gracile"  in  the  last  stanza. 


Two  days  after  that,  a  hasty  summons  came  from 
Stellery  over  the  telephone,  at  four  in  the  afternoon. 


MRS.    STELLERY'S    LETTERS          455 

He  wished  Astro  to  come  immediately  to  the  house; 
but  did  not  care  to  tell,  over  the  wire,  why  he  was 
needed. 

Astro  took  a  taxicab  and  went  up-town  immedi- 
ately. He  found  the  broker  in  his  den,  writing  at  a  big 
table  covered  with  sheets  of  paper.  On  a  smaller  table 
stood  his  typewriter,  a  sheet,  half  written,  sticking 
from  the  roller. 

Stellery  looked  up  with  a  worried  expression.  "Take 
a  seat,"  he  said.  "I  want  your  advice ;  or,  rather,  your 
help.  Things  have  come  to  a  crisis.  Brush  those  pa- 
pers on  the  floor  anywhere." 

As  Astro  sat  down,  he  noticed  a  waste-paper  basket 
behind  him,  a  little  to  the  left.  As  he  seated  himself, 
he  pushed  his  chair  back  a  foot  or  so,  so  that  the  bas- 
ket was  within  easy  reach. 

Stellery  took  a  letter  from  his  pocket  and  passed  it 
over.  "Here's  what  came  yesterday,"  he  said. 

Astro  opened  it  and  read : 

"I  simply  can't  wait  any  longer!  I  must  see 
you !  You  must  know,  by  this  time,  how  madly  I 
am  in  love  with  you.  I  don't  dare  to  speak  to  you 
face  to  face,  unless  I  receive  some  encouragement. 
But  I  want  to  end  this  suspense  immediately  and 
know  my  fate!  Will  you  meet  me  to-morrow 
afternoon,  at  six  o'clock,  at  the  prescription  coun- 
ter of  the  Times  Square  drug  store?  If  you'll  be 
there  and  will  let  me  speak  to  you  for  only  five 
minutes,  please  leave  a  candle  lighted  in  the  win- 
dow of  your  room  to-night  between  ten  and  eleven 
o'clock." 

"Well,  did  she  light  the  signal?"  said  Astro  hand- 
ing back  the  letter. 


456        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

Stellery  frowned  and  nodded.  "See  here,  you  can 
imagine  how  I  must  feel  to  have  this  sort  of  thing 
going  on!"  he  said.  "And  it's  enough  to  make  me 
fairly  sick !  But  I  want  to  trap  that  man  and  find  out 
who  he  is.  That's  why  I  sent  for  you.  Mrs.  Stellery 
objected  very  strongly  to  lending  herself  to  the  scheme 
in  any  way.  It  was  all  I  could  do  to  get  her  to  light 
the  candle ;  in  fact,  I  had  to  do  that  myself.  But,  after 
talking  it  over,  and  deciding  that  there  was  after  all 
no  real  danger  of  her  compromising  herself,  she  con- 
sented to  be  at  the  rendezvous  this  evening  at  six 
o'clock.  She  doesn't  seem  to  be  curious — the  thing 
disgusts  her — but  she  wants  to  put  an  end  to  the  mat- 
ter. Of  course  I  can't  be  seen  there,  or  he'd  never  ap- 
pear at  all.  That's  what  makes  me  wild.  I'd  like  to 
go  down  and  punch  that  chap's  head!  Instead,  I've 
got  to  stay  here  and  wait.  I  want  you  to  follow  her 
down — nobody  will  know  you  have  anything  to  do 
with  it,  of  course — and  find  out  who  it  is,  if  it's  some 
one  she  doesn't  know.  Then  we'll  put  that  chap  in 
jail,  if  it's  a  possible  thing!" 

He  had  worked  himself  into  a  passion  as  he  talked, 
and,  rising  and  gesticulating,  walked  back  and  forth 
in  the  little  room. 

Astro  watched  his  chance,  and,  when  Stellery's  back 
was  turned,  reached  into  the  waste-paper  basket,  drew 
out  a  sheet  of  typewritten  paper,  crumpled  it  up  in  his 
hand,  and  slid  it  into  his  pocket. 

"Is  Mrs. Stellery  at  home?"  he  asked. 

"No;  she  had  an  appointment  this  afternoon.  But 
she'll  be  at  the  drug  store  at  six,  she  promised." 

"I  wish  I  had  known  this  before,"  said  Astro.  "I 
should  have  liked  to  have  my  assistant  with  me." 


MRS.   STELLERY'S   LETTERS          457 

"I've  been  trying  to  get  you  on  the  'phone  all  day. 
But,  in  point  of  fact,  though  Mrs.  Stellery  consented 
to  the  signal,  I  had  to  argue  with  her  all  this  morning 
to  get  her  to  meet  this  man.  You  can  imagine  how  I 
feel!  I  wonder  if  I've  done  wrong?  Can  you  fancy 
how  it  feels  to  send  your  wife  to  a  rendezvous  to  meet 
an  anonymous  correspondent  ?  By  Jove !  I  didn't  know 
how  much  I  loved  her,  before !  You  know,  I've  neg- 
lected her  shamefully,  I  suppose.  I've  been  absorbed 
in  my  work,  and  that's  why  this  sort  of  thing  has  been 
possible.  I  suppose  people  have  seen  her  going  about 
alone,  and  have  thought  perhaps  we  were  estranged, 
even.  And  every  thing  this  damned  scoundrel  has  been 
writing  her  is  true,  by  Jove.  She  is  charming,  you  can 
see  that!  She's  one  of  ten  thousand,  that  woman!  I 
ought  to  know.  Now,  at  the  faintest  prospect  of  los- 
ing her,  absurd  as  that  chance  is — why,  I'm  fairly 
crazy  about  her.  If  I  saw  that  man  with  her,  I  don't 
care  who  he  is,  I  believe  I'd  kill  him !" 

"Which  is  another  reason  for  your  not  going,"  said 
Astro,  rising.  "There  must  be  no  scene.  You  can 
trust  Mrs.  Stellery  to  make  the  talk  brief  and  forcible 
enough,  and,  in  any  case,  you  may  depend  on  me  to 
protect  her." 


It  was  nearly  a  quarter  to  six  before  he  reached 
Times  Square.  He  entered  the  building  and  started 
down-stairs  toward  the  subway  entrance  on  his  way  to 
the  drug  store  below  the  street,  when  a  man  brushed 
past  him,  almost  jostling  him  off  the  step  in  his  haste. 
The  man  looked  round  to  apologize;  it  was  Doctor 
Primfield. 


458        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

"Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon!"  he  said,  and  looked  at 
Astro  queerly.  "Haven't  I  met  you  somewhere?"  he 
added. 

Astro  recalled  the  meeting  but  did  not  mention  his 
own  name. 

The  doctor  appeared  to  be  a  little  embarrassed. 
"I've  got  to  catch  a  subway  train;  so  you'll  have  to 
excuse  me,"  he  said.  "Otherwise,  I'd  like  to  have  a 
talk.  I  have  some  theories  of  my  own  about  capillary 
markings  on  the  fingers  I'd  like  to  discuss  with  you. 
Good  day !"  and  he  was  off  like  a  busy  squirrel.  As 
he  passed  the  drug-store  entrance  Astro  noticed  that 
he  gave  a  swift,  apparently  uneasy  look  inside. 

Mrs.  Stellery,  however,  had  not  yet  appeared ;  but  at 
a  few  minutes  before  six  she  walked  in  the  door,  hand- 
ed a  prescription  to  the  clerk  at  the  desk,  and  seated 
herself  without  appearing  to  recognize  the  Seer,  who 
lounged  at  a  counter  some  distance  away.  She  was 
beautifully  dressed  in  the  prevalent  mode,  and  sat  like 
a  fashion-plate,  without  expression  on  her  proud  face, 
as  if  bored  to  death. 

Six  o'clock  struck,  and  no  one  approached  Her.  Fif- 
teen minutes  went  by,  and  still  she  sat,  calm  and 
haughty,  in  her  place.  Finally,  when  the  prescription 
was  handed  her,  she  walked  over  to  Astro  and  bowed 
coldly. 

"Do  you  think  it  will  be  any  use  waiting  longer?" 
she  asked. 

"Not  the  slightest,"  was  his  reply.  "No  one  will 
come,  I  am  quite  sure." 

She  looked  up  at  him  with  a  sudden  keen  expres- 
sion. "You  are  sure  ?"  she  repeated. 

"Quite  so,  Mrs.  Stellery.    May  I  escort  you  home?" 


MRS.    STELLERY'S   LETTERS          459 

When  they  arrived,  the  servant  who  opened  the  door 
put  a  note  into  Mrs.  Stellery's  hand,  saying  that  it  had 
been  delivered  by  a  messenger  boy.  She  tore  it  open, 
read  it,  and  passed  it  to  Astro : 

"It  was,  of  course,  impossible  for  me  to  speak 
to  you,  as  you  were  watched." 


The  next  day,  as  Astro  and  Valeska  were  driving 
up-town,  returning  from  a  case  that  was  then  puzzling 
him,  he  proposed  that  they  rest  at  Sherry's  and  take 
tea  there.  It  was  not  yet  four  o'clock,  and  there  was 
no  one  else  in  the  room  when  they  entered.  Tea,  muf- 
fins, and  jam  had  hardly  been  ordered,  however,  when 
Valeska  suddenly  exclaimed : 

"Why,  there's  Mr.  Askerson  now !" 

"And  there's  Mrs.  Stellery  as  well !"  Astro  added. 

Master  and  assistant  gave  each  other  a  quick  glance, 
then  turned  to  the  approaching  couple.  They  were 
earnestly  conversing,  and  did  not,  apparently,  notice 
that  there  was  any  one  else  in  the  room  as  they  walked 
across  to  the  opposite  side  and  sat  down.  Then  Mrs. 
Stellery  cast  her  gray  eyes  slowly  about  the  room  and 
met  Astro's.  He  and  Valeska  could  see  the  color  man- 
tle her  cheeks  as  she  turned  away.  Askerson  was 
slower  at  perceiving  who  was  present;  but  when  at 
last  he  noticed  Valeska,  he  turned  suddenly  and  said 
something  to  Mrs.  Stellery.  The  latter  was  too  well- 
bred  to  turn ;  perhaps  she  was  too  busy  in  attempting 
to  mask  her  thoughts  in  her  haughty  cold  expression. 
They  did  not  look  over  again. 

"Well,  if  Mr.  Askerson  has  written  those  letters,  it's 
about  time  for  him  to  explain  now,"  said  Valeska.  "I 


460       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

> 

think  he's  dear !  But  why  should  he  take  such  an  elab- 
orate method  of  making  love  to  her  when  he  can  meet 
her  like  this  whenever  he  wants  to  ?" 

"Perhaps  he  can't." 

"There's  no  reason  why  he  shouldn't,  is  there?  It's 
all  right." 

"Do  you  think  he  wrote  them?" 

"I  don't  know.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  your  meeting 
Doctor  Primfield,  I'd  be  surer.  Askerson's  typewriter 
leaves  it  in  doubt. 

"Oh,  the  typewriter,  we  agreed,  was  only  the  final 
test.  What  you  must  seek  is  a  motive." 

"Well,  then,  Askerson  is  romantic — and  a  bit  afraid 
of  her.  Doctor  Primfield  is  practical ;  but  afraid  of  her 
husband.  Either  may  be  in  love  with  her." 

"I  don't  think  you  have  proved  a  sufficient  motive 
yet  for  so  extraordinary  a  course.  But,  by  Jove !  look 
at  that !  If  there  isn't  Primfield  himself !" 

It  was  Primfield,  indeed,  who  entered  at  that  mo- 
ment, looked  about,  caught  sight  of  Mrs.  Stellery, 
walked  over  to  her  table,  and  spoke.  She  reached  out 
her  hand  and  smiled  faintly.  There  were  a  few  words 
of  introduction,  and  he  sat  down  at  their  table  and 
lighted  a  cigarette. 

"Now,"  said  Astro,  "you  have  a  chance  to  vindicate 
your  woman's  perception.  Watch  and  see  which  of 
those  two  men  is  in  love  with  her." 

Valeska  narrowed  her  eyes  and  watched.  It  was 
five  minutes  before  she  said  deliberately,  "I  think  nei- 
ther of  them  is." 

Astro  laughed  softly.  "Well,  my  dear,  I  have  a  bet- 
ter motive  than  you  have  yet  discovered." 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked  eagerly. 


Watch  and  see  which  of  those  two  men  is  in  love  with  her." 


MRS.    STELLERY'S   LETTERS          461 

"I  won't  tell  you  yet ;  I'll  give  you  a  chance  to  think 
it  over  by  yourself.  But  at  ten  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning  the  writer  of  the  Stellery  anonymous  letters 
will  walk  into  my  studio." 

At  ten  next  morning  Valeska  came  swiftly  into  the 
laboratory  where  Astro  was  experimenting  with  phos- 
phorescent sulfid  of  calcium  screens.  The  sight  of 
her  face  made  the  Seer  smile,  it  was  so  puzzled  in  its 
expression. 

"Mrs.  Stellery  is  here.  She  says  you  wished  to  see 
her.  Are  you  going  to  have  her  meet  the  author  of  the 
letters?" 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  putting  down  a  varnish  brush. 
"And  if  you  want  enlightenment  on  human  nature,  I 
advise  you  to  listen  in  the  anteroom." 

He  took  a  piece  of  crumpled  paper  covered  with 
typewriting  from  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  her.  She 
looked  at  it  carefully ;  then,  as  she  stood  for  a  moment 
staring  at  him,  her  face  changed. 

"Oh !"  she  breathed,  and  walked  rapidly  back  to  the 
reception-room. 

Mrs.  Stellery  was  waiting  for  him,  standing  beside 
the  granite  Thoth  in  the  center  of  the  studio.  Her  eyes 
were  fixed  blankly;  but  at  his  coming  she  turned  a 
white  face  suddenly  to  him. 

"You  said  that  you  had  discovered  the  authorship  of 
the  letters,"  she  said,  and  her  voice  was  very  low.  "I'm 
anxious  about  it.  Do  you  really  know?  Are  you 
sure?" 

He  nodded  gravely,  motioned  her  to  a  seat,  and  sat 
down  himself.  "My  dear  Mrs.  Stellery,"  he  began,  "I 
want  you  to  trust  implicitly  in  my  tact  and  my  consid- 


462        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

eration.  I  shall  do  nothing  whatever  without  your  con- 
sent, you  may  be  sure.  Indeed,  it  was  to  ask  your  ad- 
vice that  I  sent  for  you." 

She  continued  staring  at  him  anxiously,  and  her  lips 
formed  the  words,  "My  husband !" 

"Mr.  Stellery  shall  know — only  what  you  please  to 
tell  him  yourself,"  he  answered. 

"Then  you  do  know !"    Her  lips  were  trembling. 

"It  was  my  business  to  find  out." 

"Who  wrote  them,  then?"  she  demanded  almost 
fiercely,  as  if  defying  him. 

"Mrs.  Stellery,"  he  replied,  "you  are  a  clever  woman. 
Not  only  that,  but  you  have  a  profound  knowledge  of 
men.  And  you  have  a  heart  that,  in  its  danger,  knows 
how  to  ally  itself  with  your  brain." 

"You  mean—" 

"That  you  wrote  them  yourself !" 

For  a  few  minutes  no  one  would  have  recognized 
her  for  the  proud  serene  woman  of  the  world.  A 
strong  effort  of  her  will  brought  her  back  to  something 
like  composure ;  but  now  she  must  talk. 

"If  you  knew  what  I  have  suffered !"  she  exclaimed. 
"We  have  been  growing  away  from  each  other  for  a 
year.  If  it  had  been  only  a  quarrel,  we  might  have 
made  it  up ;  but  this  was  only  his  carelessness,  his  ab- 
sorption in  his  business,  his  thoughtless  cruelty.  I 
wanted  to  arouse  him,  rekindle  his  interest  in  me,  make 
him  love  me  again,  if  I  could.  Oh !  can't  you  see  ?  It 
may  not  have  been  right — it  was  a  deceit,  I  know — 
but  I  missed  him  so !" 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Stellery,  you  needn't  justify  your- 
self to  me.  All  I  need  to  say  is  that  I'm  sure  your 
ruse  has  worked." 


MRS.   STELLERY'S   LETTERS         463 

"Oh,  I  know  it  has !  But  I  had  some  good  advice, 
— it  wasn't  all  sheer  woman's  wit — Mr.  Askerson 
helped  me.  I  don't  know  how  I  came  to  confide  in 
him — I've  seen  him  so  few  times — but  he  wrote  most 
of  the  letters  for  me,  and  I  copied  them ;  so  they  would 
seem  more  like  a  man's  letters,  you  know.  But  I  con- 
fess— I  don't  know  what  you'll  think  of  my  praising 
myself  so — all  those  intimate  personal  things  were 
truly  my  own.  Most  of  them  my  husband  had  said  to 
me  during  our  honeymoon.  I  thought  they  would  be 
most  likely  to  arouse  his  jealousy." 

"Oh,  he's  jealous  enough,"  said  Astro.  "You  needn't 
fear  that  you  haven't  succeeded.  He  has  threatened  to 
kill  the  writer  of  the  letters." 

She  smiled  wistfully.  "Well,  I  hope  he  won't  kill 
me  when  he  finds  out  I'm  the  one.  And  that's  the 
question !  I  always  expected  to  tell  him ;  but  now  I'm 
afraid  to.  I  didn't  quite  intend  to  let  it  go  so  far,  and 
I  don't  know  how  to  explain.  What  shall  I  do?"  She 
looked  up  at  him  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  There  was  no 
haughtiness  left,  now. 

"I  think  you  needn't  worry,"  said  Astro,  giving  her 
his  hand  in  sympathy;  "for  I  met  Mr.  Stellery  this 
morning  on  his  way  to  the  office.  He  told  me  that  he 
intended  to  take  you  abroad  immediately.  That,  he 
said,  would  stop  this  nonsense  and  give  him  a  chance  to 
get  acquainted  with  you  all  over  again.  He  said  he 
was  sure  you  had  been  left  alone  too  much." 

"Really?"  she  said,  suddenly  smiling.  "Oh,  then, 
I'm  sure  the  letters  will  stop !  And,"  she  added  softly, 
"when  I've  quite  won  him  back,  and  we're  happy  again, 
I'll  confess  everything."  She  paused  a  moment,  then 
spoke  as  if  to  herself.  "There's  a  little  canal  in  Venice 


464       THE   MASTER   OF    MYSTERIES 

I  love.    It's  called  the  Rio  Margherita.    I  think  it  will 
be  there — in  June — just  after  sunset." 

She  looked  up  wistfully  as  she  added,  "Oh,  I  do 
hope  he'll  forgive  me  for  being  such  a  schemer !" 


BLACK  LIGHT 

SURELY  it  had  been  a  curious  wooing;  for  Astro, 
Seer  of  Secrets,  so  confident  in  other  matters,  so 
keen  in  his  insight  into  human  nature,  so  quick  to  think 
and  bold  to  act,  had  shown  from  the  first  a  strange 
timidity  when  it  came  to  a  personal  relation  with  Va- 
leska,  his  assistant.  His  manner  had  long  been  merely 
brotherly,  modified  only  by  his  relation  as  instructor  to 
her.  But  of  late  he  had  begun  to  make  tentative  sug- 
gestions, as  if  to  try  and  sound  her  affection.  From 
these  Valeska  had  instinctively  warned  him  off,  and 
his  tact  had  made  him  accede  to  her  wishes.  It  seemed 
as  if  he  feared  to  lose  her  by  speaking  too  soon. 

But  at  last  he  had  spoken.  The  words  had  sprung 
unpremeditated  from  his  lips,  on  the  surging  impulse 
of  the  moment.  Nor  were  they  the  fruit  of  any 
dramatic  moment.  Merely  the  sight  of  her  in  a  char- 
acteristic attitude  at  the  table,  her  blond  head  illumined 
by  the  electric  light,  and  a  sudden  terror  struck  him 
lest  destiny  should  sweep  them  apart  and  write  the 
story  of  their  two  years'  friendship  in  the  chronicles 
of  the  past.  So  many  things  in  his  life  had  faded 
like  autumn  leaves !  He  must  be  sure  of  her,  sure  of 
having  her  beside  him  always,  sure  of  the  inspiration 
of  her  companionship.  The  speech  came  on  the  in- 
stant in  a  passionate  demand. 

It  had  appeared  -to  frighten  her  for  the  moment,  as 

465 


466       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

if  it  were  a  question  she  had  long  been  dreading.  She 
had  asked  for  time  in  which  to  consider  it,  and  he 
had  reluctantly  consented.  Since  then  he  had  not 
mentioned  the  subject;  but  he  had  watched  her  silently 
with  fear  and  constraint  in  his  manner. 

Valeska  found  it  hard  to  explain  why  she  had  been 
unwilling  to  answer;  but,  as  she  went  over  and  over 
the  question,  it  seemed  to  her  that  their  friendship 
had  been  merely  the  product  of  propinquity.  They 
had  been  thrown  together  continually,  had  incurred 
danger,  and  had  enjoyed  victory.  How,  then,  could 
she  be  sure  that  it  was  no  more  than  friendship,  a 
common  interest  in  their  work  ?  Love,  she  had  always 
thought,  should  come  with  a  flash  of  sudden  illumina- 
tion, as  a  divine  gift,  as  a  sudden  wonder,  convincing 
in  its  very  mystery.  But  her  feeling — was  it  not  the 
mere  result  of  a  daily  comradeship?  Was  it  a  fatal 
irresistible  appeal  of  the  soul?  She  found  him  aristo- 
cratic, generous,  talented,  finely  perceptive,  and  deli- 
cate ;  but  was  this  all  ?  Her  love,  if  it  were  love,  spoke 
a  commonplace  tongue — and  she  had  wanted  words  of 
fire.  So,  for  a  week,  she  went  over  and  over  the  sub- 
ject, subjecting  herself  and  Astro  to  a  searching  criti- 
cism, and  as  yet  she  had  found  no  answer. 


He  came  into  the  room  one  morning,  carrying  from 
his  laboratory  a  large  black  square  object,  which  he 
set  on  the  table.  She  looked  at  it,  and  then  her  eyes 
questioned  him. 

"It  is  a  lantern  of  a  special  kind,"  he  said.  "It  casts 
black  light." 

"Black  light!"    Her  delicate  brows  rose. 


BLACK   LIGHT  467 

"That's  what  Doctor  Le  Bon  calls  it.  You  see,  the 
visible  spectrum  (or  all  the  light  we  can  see)  is  only 
about  one  per  cent,  of  all  the  vibrant  energy  emitted 
by  the  sun  or  any  other  luminous  body.  Beyond  that 
visible  spectrum  lie,  at  one  end  the  ultraviolet  rays, 
and  at  the  other  the  infra-red.  I  have  here  a  lighted 
lantern  enclosed  in  an  opaque  box,  which  cuts  off  all 
the  visible  rays,  but  permits  the  other  ninety-nine  per 
cent,  to  pass  through.  The  flame  inside  is  now  cast- 
ing rays  of  black  light  through  the  opaque  sides, — 
black,  because  they  are  invisible ;  light,  because  they 
will  illuminate  certain  objects. 

"I  want  you  to  witness  an  experiment.  You  recall 
the  celebrated  interference  experiment  of  Fresnel,  in 
which  light  added  to  light  produced  darkness?  Well, 
I  shall  show  you  how  darkness  added  to  darkness  may 
give  birth  to  light.  It  is  Le  Bon's  discovery.  Now 
come  into  my  dark  room,  and  I'll  show  it  to  you." 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  laboratory  he  opened  a 
door  which  led  into  a  small  dark  room.  Entering  this, 
and  closing  the  laboratory  door,  he  opened  one  into 
another  dark  room  beyond,  carrying  the  dark  lantern. 
They  both  entered  the  inner  dark  room,  which  was 
ventilated  through  a  circuitous  light-proof  pipe.  The 
room  was  absolutely  black;  but  Astro,  well  used  to 
the  place,  feeling  his  way  with  his  hands,  set  the  lan- 
tern on  a  table. 

"Upon  a  shelf  here,"  he  said,  "is  a  Chinese  image 
of  Buddha,  which  some  weeks  ago  I  coated  with  phos- 
phorescent sulfid  of  calcium.  By  this  time  all  its 
luminosity  is  gone,  and  it  is  absolutely  invisible.  But 
now  I  shall  direct  the  invisible  rays  of  black  light  from 
this  lantern  upon  it.  Watch!" 


468        THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

As  she  waited  there  in  the  silence  and  the  dark,  Va- 
leska  strained  her  eyes  for  nearly  a  minute  in  vain. 
Then  a  faint  luminous  blur  was  apparent.  It  gathered 
intensity  and  showed  a  triangle  of  violet  radiance.  In 
another  minute  it  had  taken  the  form  of  a  squatting 
Buddha  and  glowed  plainly,  the  only  visible  thing  in 
the  room. 

"It's  wonderful !"  she  breathed. 

"Oh,  that's  not  half  that  can  be  done  with  black 
light,"  Astro  said,  as  he  took  the  lantern  and  led  the 
way  out.  "With  it  one  can  photograph  objects  through 
an  opaque  screen,  when  they  are  illuminated  by  ordi- 
nary sunlight.  By  using  a  screen  of  sulfid  of  zinc, 
and  training  this  black  light  upon  an  object,  one  could 
see  it  even  at  midnight,  half  a  mile  away." 

When  they  came  out  into  the  great  studio,  he 
dropped  to  his  favorite  place  on  the  divan  and  went 
on.  "Phosphorescence,  opalescence  and  fluorescence 
are  queer  things,  Valeska.  They  haven't  been  half  un- 
derstood till  lately,  when  what  is  called  'the  new 
physics'  came  into  being  through  the  discoveries  in 
radioactivity  by  Monsieur  and  Madame  Curie.  It  used 
to  be  thought  that  after  a  phosphorescent  object  had  re- 
mained in  the  dark  for  a  while  and  had  ceased  to  be 
luminous,  it  ceased  its  radioactivity,  and  needed  a  new 
bath  of  light  to  make  it  act  again.  But  Le  Bon  found 
that  it  would  radiate  for  months  after  all  visible  glow 
had  disappeared.  We  have  proved  it  with  this  black 
light  just  now." 

He  had  taken  up  his  narghile  and  sat  looking  off 
into  space  with  a  mystic  expression  on  his  face.  It 
was  one  of  his  dreamy,  philosophical  moments.  Va- 
leska recognized  the  mood  and  waited  for  the  inevita- 


BLACK   LIGHT  469 

ble  parable.  For,  to  Astro  the  Seer,  modern  science 
was  but  an  allegory  of  the  intellect  and  the  emotions. 
By  it  he  explained  even  his  own  charlatanry. 

"Isn't  it  like  absence?  While  our  friend  is  present, 
he  is  bathed  in  the  matter-of-fact  light  of  day;  he  is 
radiant,  luminous.  When  he  disappears,  for  a  time 
that  impression  of  him  lasts,  like  the  phosphorescent 
glow.  Then,  the  light  fades  and  we  begin  to  forget, — 
all  save  those  who  truly  love,  who  truly  know,  whose 
soul  can  still  perceive  the  mysterious  astral  black  light 
he  radiates  through  the  dark.  His  influence  persists, 
transmuted  from  mental  into  psychic  energy.  Selah!" 

He  dropped  his  narghile  and  sat  with  folded  hands, 
looking  at  her  as  if  she  were  miles  away.  His  smile 
was  the  calm  expression  of  his  own  bronze  Buddha. 

But  Valeska  took  the  parable  to  herself  eagerly. 
"Yes,  yes,  it's  true,  and  that's  just  what  I  need  to 
know  before  I  give  you  the  answer  you  want !  I  don't 
know  whether  I  really  love  you  or  not, — you're  too 
near  me,  too  intermingled  with  my  life  and  my  work. 
If  I  could  try  that  test  of  absence,  if  I  could  wait  till 
your  phosphorescence  fades  out,  then  I  could  tell 
whether  or  not  I  was  affected  by  your  black  light.  I'd 
know  then  just  what  you  were  to  me — alone  in  the 
dark!" 

"Shall  we  try  it?"  he  asked  gently.  "Shall  I  dis- 
appear for  a  week,  say?" 

"Ah,  I'm  afraid  it  would  take  at  least  a  month!" 
she  said. 

He  laughed.    "Well,  as  long  as  you  like." 

"Will  you  really?" 

He  bowed  gravely.  "I  shall  disappear  to-morrow. 
You  may  use  the  studio  as  you  please;  and,  when 


470       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

you've  found  out  whether  or  not  you  can  be  affected 
by  my  psychic  black  light, — you  will  let  me  know." 

"Do  I  care?  Do  I  care  enough  for  him?"  Valeska 
asked  herself  the  next  morning  as  she  walked  to  the 
studio.  She  had  thought  of  it  almost  all  night;  she 
had  risen  with  the  question  on  her  lips.  She  had  seen 
him  every  day  for  two  years.  The  thought  that  to- 
day, and  perhaps  for  a  week  or  a  month,  she  would  not 
see  him,  gave  her  a  strange  feeling.  Was  it  a  relief, 
or  a  pain?  As  yet,  she  could  not  decide. 

As  she  entered  the  studio  it  seemed  strange  not  to 
find  him  there,  at  first.  Then,  insensibly  she  began  to 
find  it  hard  to  believe  that  he  was  not  there.  Every- 
thing suggested  his  presence, — the  curiosities  he  had 
collected,  the  weapons,  the  Egyptian  sculptures,  tapes- 
tries, gems, — all  evidences  of  his  taste  and  his  re- 
searches. She  could  not  rid  herself  of  the  feeling  that 
at  any  moment  he  might  come  in.  He  was  near  her, 
somewhere,  waiting  and  watching  for  her. 

But  this,  she  said  to  herself,  was  only  the  effect  of 
the  familiar  environment  in  which  she  had  been  used 
to  see  him.  But  it  became  at  last  too  strong,  too  in- 
sistent. Surely  she  could  never  decide  till  she  sought 
a  new  atmosphere.  She  was  sorry  that  she  had  not 
disappeared,  instead  of  Astro.  But  at  least  she  could 
leave  the  studio  and  be  alone  for  a  while,  to  think  it 
out.  As  she  opened  the  outer  door,  she  heard  the  soft 
ringing  of  the  electric  bell  in  the  studio  which  warned 
them  of  visitors.  It  still  rang  as  she  closed  the  door, 
and  it  gave  her  an  uncanny  feeling, — the  one  spark 
of  life  in  that  dead  empty  place.  She  hurried  away 
and  walked  swiftly  toward  the  park. 


" 


Shall   \ve   try   it?"   he   asked   gently.     ''Shall   I   disappear 
for   a   week,   say?" 


BLACK   LIGHT 

'  "Do  I  care?"  Valeska  had  little  doubt  of  it  wlien 
the  next  morning  she  walked  to  the  studio.  One  day 
had  made  her  sure.  She  wanted  to  see  Astro  again 
more  than  she  wanted  anything  in  the  world!  The 
day  before  had  been  empty  and  vapid.  She  had  scarce- 
ly reached  the  reservoir  in  the  park  before  she  knew 
what  a  fool  she  had  been  ever  to  doubt.  The  product 
of  mere  propinquity  or  not,  the  feeling  she  had  for 
him  was  paramount  over  every  other  emotion.  She 
wanted  him  back,  to  see  him,  hear  him,  and — well, 
he  would  find  out  what  else! 

Again  the  empty  studio  smote  her  with  trie  strange 
feeling  that,  despite  the  fact  that  she  did  not  meet 
him  there,  he  was  near  her.  Now  it  was  a  tantalizing 
thought.  Why  had  she  not  arranged  how  to  notify 
him  ?  She  had  been  so  sure  she  would  need  a  month 
that  she  had  not  asked  where  he  was  going,  and  she 
had  now  no  means  of  letting  him  know.  It  was  ab- 
surd! Must  she  wait  for  him  to  write? 

After  all,  had  she  really  no  means  of  discovering 
his  whereabouts  ?  She  looked  eagerly  about  the  studio. 
For  two  years  she  had  been  his  assistant  in  unraveling 
mysteries.  Why  should  she  not  now  profit  by  her 
apprenticeship?  But  how? 

It  came  to  her  then  that  it  was,  so  to  speak,  by  means 
of  black  light  that  he  himself  had  always  worked. 
Most  people  saw  only  the  outward  and  visible  signs, — 
the  one  per  cent,  of  facts  that  were  luminous  and  ob- 
vious. His  delicate  mind  registered  the  infra-red  rays 
of  psychic  action.  He  vibrated  to  the  ultraviolet 
waves.  Could  she  not  do  so  as  well?  She  was  a 
woman  and  had  intuitions  as  well  as  intellect ;  she  had 
emotions  finer  than  men's.  But  her  emotions  told  her 


472       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES 

somehow,  irrationally,  that  Astro  was  still  there  in  the 
studio.  She  could  not  believe,  quite,  in  his  absence. 
Everything  shrieked  his  name  to  her.  She  could  close 
her  eyes  and  see  him  before  the  porphyry  sphinx,  ex- 
amining thumb  prints  at  his  table,  poring  over  the 
mimic  planets  of  the  orrery,  figuring  out  nativities, 
gazing  into  his  crystal  ball. 

That  would  never  do !  She  must  keep  her  imagina- 
tion as  an  instrument  with  which  to  work  on  facts. 
Where,  then,  were  the  facts  that  could  help  her  ?  She 
set  herself  to  investigate  the  studio  thoroughly,  inch 
by  inch. 

At  the  first  round,  she  found  nothing  not  in  its  ac- 
customed place,  nothing  new,  nothing  significant.  She 
sat  down  at  his  table  to  think,  putting  her  elbows  on 
the  blotter  and  letting  her  head  drop  into  her  palms. 
Her  eyes  fell  on  the  blue  blotter.  It  was  changed 
every  morning,  ordinarily ;  but  now  she  noticed  pencil 
markings, — a  small  square  drawn  with  its  diagonals. 
Would  this  be  mere  thoughtless  penciling,  or  perhaps 
a  clue?  Next,  an  envelope  lying  beside  the  inkstand 
attracted  her  attention.  Surely  that  could  mean  noth- 
ing, and  yet,  as  it  lay  with  its  face  down,  the  X  shaped 
cross  of  its  gummed  edges  suggested  the  diagonals 
of  the  square.  Either  one  alone  might  have  no  sig- 
nificance; but  the  two  taken  together — the  hint,  per- 
haps, repeated?  She  smiled  at  the  very  absurdity  of 
so  frail  a  clue. 

Then  her  eyes  dropped  to  the  waste-paper  basket. 
This  should  have  been  emptied  yesterday  morning,  yet 
it  contained  a  few  scraps  of  paper.  She  stooped  and 


BLACK   LIGHT  473 

drew  them  out,  one  by  one.    Three  were  blank.     On 
the  fourth  she  found  the  following: 

"St.  Patrick's  Cath 115  lOth-Ave. 

Pier  83  N.  R 320  3d-Ave." 

She  gave  a  little  cry  of  triumph.  Here  at  last  was 
something  to  work  on!  She  considered  the  ad- 
dresses carefully.  What  did  they  mean?  Astro  had 
never  mentioned  such  places ;  yet  the  notes  were  in  his 
crabbed  handwriting.  She  knew  of  a  certainty  that 
the  studio  had  been  cleaned  the  day  before  yesterday. 
This  writing,  then,  must  have  been  put  into  the  basket 
after  they  had  had  their  talk.  If  so,  then  they  meant 
something.  The  first  thing  to  do  was,  of  course,  to 
look  up  these  localities  and  see  what  she  could  find 
there.  Saint  Patrick's  Cathedral  and  the  Pier  83 
seemed  unlikely  places  to  discover  news  of  Astro's 
whereabouts ;  but  she  determined  to  visit  all  four  be- 
fore she  returned. 

She  called  a  taxicab  and  set  out  first  for  Pier  83. 
This,  she  found,  was  at  the  end  of  the  Forty-second- 
Street  side  of  the  Weehawken  ferry.  She  walked  along 
the  wharf,  and  found  a  tug  laid  up  there.  Besides 
this,  there  was  no  sign  of  life.  What  should  she  do? 
Ask  the  tugboat  men  if  they  knew  where  Astro  was? 
That  was  nonsense !  She  walked  up  and  down  for  a 
half-hour,  and  discovered  nothing  which  she  could 
possibly  twist  into  evidence.  She  decided,  then,  that 
she  would  visit  the  other  places,  and  then,  if  she  found 
nothing  suspicious,  return  over  the  ground  again. 

Saint  Patrick's  Cathedral  next.  There  it  stood,  on 
the  corner  of  the  avenue,  and  she  recalled  how  Astro 


474       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

had  once  called  her  attention  to  its  resemblance  to  a 
vast  Gothic  rabbit.  The  two  transepts  did  resemble 
a  bunny's  haunches,  and  the  front  towers  were  like 
ears.  She  smiled  at  the  thought;  but  got  no  nearer 
Astro  by  the  pleasantry.  She  walked  inside,  sat  down 
on  a  seat,  and  thought.  What  associations  could  this 
have  with  his  whereabouts?  Why,  he  was  not  even 
a  Catholic !  He  always  said  He  was  a  Buddhist.  Well, 
if  this  were  a  part  of  the  black  light  his  memory  ema- 
nated, it  was  black  indeed ! 

In  Third  Avenue  her  hopes  went  up.  Number  320 
was  the  entrance  to  a  brick  apartment-house.  There 
was  a  sign  indicating  that  flats  were  to  let,  and  she 
rang  for  the  janitor.  By  him  she  was  shown  a  very 
pleasant  "four  rooms  and  bath",  whose  windows  were 
on  a  level  with  the  elevated  railroad;  but  it  was  as 
bare  as  the  palm  of  one's  hand,  with  no  lines  she  could 
read.  She  asked  tentatively  of  the  other  occupants, 
and  found  that  all,  with  the  exception  of  a  couple  of 
old  men,  were  married  families.  Yes,  a  man  had  been 
to  look  at  the  flat  yesterday;  but  he  had  worn  a  beard. 
Was  this  a  disguise?  But  if  Astro  had  come  there 
with  the  intention  of  renting  a  flat  temporarily,  why 
should  he  have  left  the  address  in  the  waste  basket? 
And,  moreover,  why  should  he  have  coupled  its  ad- 
dress with  Pier  83? 

There  remained  only  the  Tenth  Avenue  address, 
and  this  she  found  to  be  a  huge  unoccupied  building 
with  shuttered  windows,  belonging  to  a  gas  company. 
Opposite  was  a  vacant  lot  piled  with  lumber  refuse, 
beams  and  timbers;  on  the  other  side  was  the  gas- 
tank's  cylindrical  bulk.  She  could  find  no  watch- 
man to  give  her  permission  to  enter.  What  pretext 


BLACK  LIGHT  475 

could  sfie  give  for  wanting  to  see  the  premises,  even 
if  she  inquired  at  the  office  on  Eighteenth  Street  ?  She 
could  think  of  none.  Better  think  it  over  and  plan  a 
campaign.  She  had  this  much  information,  at  least. 
Now  what  she  had  to  do  was  to  find  some  plausible 
theory  to  utilize  it. 

Back  she  went  to  her  room  and  cried  herself  to  sleep, 
as  any  other  woman  would.  She  missed  Astro  more 
than  ever.  Before,  she  had  a  hunger  and  thirst  for  his 
presence;  now  she  wanted  his  help  and  protection. 
Oh,  she  was  sure  enough,  now!  She  felt  lost  with- 
out him;  she  saw  how  necessary  he  was  to  her,  how 
he  had  made  life  different,  romantic,  picturesque. 

It  was  a  sad  little  Valeska  that  crept  to  the  studio 
next  day.  She  took  up  one  of  the  cushions  of  his 
divan  and  kissed  it  passionately,  buried  her  face  in  it 
for  a  while,  then  sat  resolutely  down  at  his  desk  to  work 
out  the  mystery  of  his  location.  The  more  she  thought 
of  it  now,  the  surer  she  became  that  he  must  have  left 
these  clues  on  purpose  to  guide  her  in  her  search.  It 
would  be  like  him  to  test  her  that  way;  there  was  a 
sort  of  humor  in  it  that,  at  last,  she  saw.  Well,  then, 
she  would  be  a  worthy  pupil.  She  would  prove  that 
his  lessons  had  not  been  without  effect.  She,  too, 
would  be  a  seer  of  secrets ! 

With  a  smile  on  her  lips  now,  she  began  the  problem. 
But  again  she  stopped.  It  was  absurd  to  think  of  him 
as  being  away.  She  was  so  used  to  seeing  him  here 
in  the  studio  that  she  could  not  take  her  task  seriously. 
Could  not  she  go  into  a  trance,  as  he  had  so  often  pre- 
tended to,  and  summon  him  to  her,  or  project  her  spirit 
to  meet  his?  Could  she  not  perceive  the  radiance  of 


476       THE   MASTER   OF   MYSTERIES ' 

his  secret  black  light  directly  through  her  intuitions, 
without  this  tedious  and  stupid  analytical  logical 
process?  As  she  sat  there  she  could  almost  feel  him 
at  her  side,  leaning  over  her  shoulder,  looking  from 
the  door  of  his  laboratory.  She  looked  up  with  a  start 
from  her  reverie,  and  was  a  little  frightened  to  find 
herself  alone  in  the  great  studio  with  its  shadowy  cor- 
ners. Then  she  went  back  conscientiously  to  her  study. 
What  was  the  meaning  of  the  four  addresses?  It 
seemed  evident  that  he  could  not  be  in  any  one  of  the 
places ;  that  would  be  too  easy  an  explanation  of  the 
mystery.  Was  there  any  esoteric  significance  to  the 
Weehawken  ferry  or  Pier  83?  She  laughed  at  the 
idea.  All  she  could  gather  from  the  addresses  was  that 
Astro  was  probably  in  New  York.  Well,  that  was 
something.  Her  mind  jumped  to  the  square  with  di- 
agonals, to  the  cross  on  the  envelope.  How  did  they 
fit  in  ?  Why,  for  all  she  knew,  the  pattern  on  the  car- 
pet, or  the  legs  of  the  chairs  could  solve  the  mystery ! 

No,  there  must  be  some  relationship  between  these 
things.  If  these  evidences  were  left  purposely,  they 
were  correlated  one  to  another.  Her  mind  went  back 
to  memories  of  Astro.  He  used  to  jump  up  and  walk 
back  and  forth  as  he  considered  his  problems.  So  up 
rose  Valeska  and  began  to  pace  the  room. 

As  she  passed  the  book-shelves,  she  noticed  that  one 
book  stuck  out  a  little  from  the  others.  It  was  a  vol- 
ume of  Poe's  Tales.  She  pushed  it  back  and  con- 
tinued her  promenade.  She  went  over  the  addresses 
again, — Saint  Patrick's,  Pier  83,  320  Third  Avenue, 
the  gas  works.  It  came  to  her  vaguely  that  these 


BLACK  LIGHT  477 

places  were  about  equal  distances  apart.  Now  could 
that  mean  anything  ?  Then  she  thought  that  she  could 
consider  them  more  clearly  if  she  had  a  map. 

She  went  to  the  shelf,  therefore,  took  down  and  un- 
folded a  large  map  of  New  York,  and  laid  it  on  the 
table.  She  next  took  four  pins  and  marked  each  place. 
They  were  indeed  equal  distances  apart ;  she  measured 
them  with  a  ruler.  Then  she  noticed  that 'they  seemed 
to  form  a  square,  and  tested  it  with  a  little  transparent 
celluloid  triangle  Astro  used  for  plotting  horoscopes, 
and  found  it  was  true.  The  sides  were  about  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  long.  Again  she  dropped  her  chin  on 
her  palms  and  her  elbows  on  the  table  and  studied  the 
pins. 

But  her  thoughts  wandered.  It  seemed  as  if  Astro 
should  be  there  to  help  her  as  he  always  had.  She 
thought,  with  a  smile,  that  if  it  were  propinquity  that 
had  made  her  love  him,  propinquity  was  what  she 
wanted  most.  But  she  forced  her  mind  to  the  sub- 
ject and  remembered  the  diagram  drawn  on  the  blotter 
of  the  table.  Why,  that  was  a  square,  too!  And  it 
had  its  diagonals  drawn.  The  hint  reached  her  at  last 
and,  seizing  a  pencil  and  ruler,  she  drew  in  the  di- 
agonals on  the  map,  and  looked  curiously  to  see  where 
they  intersected.  On  Thirty-fourth  Street,  between 
Seventh  and  Eighth  Avenues.  But  the  studio  itself 
was  at  234  West  Thirty-fourth  Street. 

She  jumped  up,  then,  her  hand  on  her  beating  heart. 
Her  intuitions,  then,  were  true !  She  had  felt  the  black 
light  of  his  presence,  though  he  was  invisible!  He 
was  in  the  studio,  and  had  been  from  the  first!  He 


478       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

had,  perhaps,  even  looked  from  the  doorway,  as  she 
had  fancied.  She  trembled  as  if  at  the  presence  of  a 
ghost,  and  feared  to  see  him. 

But  where  was  he?  Must  she  look  in  every  nook 
and  corner?  Should  she  call  him  out  loud?  Hungry 
for  him  as  she  was,  she  could  not  yet  do  that;  her 
heart  beat  too  fast.  Yet  she  longed  to  tear  the  mystery 
open  and  let  in  the  light  again — the  old-fashioned  sun- 
light of  his  actual  visible  presence — and  break  into 
tears  on  his  shoulder.  She  moved  across  the  room  on 
tiptoe  now,  as  if  she  were  guilty  of  some  crime  in  be- 
ing there,  threw  herself  on  the  divan,  and  tried  to  think 
it  out. 

As  she  calmed  herself,  the  thought  of  the  book  she 
had  replaced  on  the  shelf  came  to  her,  and  she  ran 
across  the  studio  to  take  it  from  its  shelf.  It  fell  open 
of  itself  to  The  Purloined  Letter,  and  she  smiled  to 
herself.  That  proved  her  hypothesis  to  be  right.  Was 
not  the  purloined  letter  concealed  in  plain  sight,  so 
prominently  placed  that  it  escaped  the  search?  Then 
Astro's  hiding-place  would  be  as  obvious,  if  she  rea- 
soned aright.  Could  she  solve  that  as  she  had  solved 
the  other,  by  her  intuitions,  by  means  of  his  black 
light? 

Black  light!  The  very  words  were  enough  to  tell 
her.  Where  should  he  be,  but  in  the  dark  room  where 
she  first  witnessed  his  experiment,  where  the  little 
phosphorescent  Buddha,  though  invisible  in  the  dark, 
still  radiated  its  mysterious  waves  of  energy? 

So  it  was  solved !  She  hugged  herself  with  delight, 
and  smiled  at  the  prettiness  of  his  plans.  How  well  he 


BLACK  LIGHT  479 

knew  her  and  her  mental  processes — indeed,  he  must 
know  her  very  soul,  to  be  so  sure  of  her  and  her  ways ! 
Indeed,  he  was  the  Seer  of  secrets;  for  he  had  seen 
hers  before  she  had  discovered  it  for  herself,  had  waited 
with  patience  and  tact  till  she  should  know  and  be 
sure  of  her  own  love  for  him.  A  wave  of  impatience 
to  see  him,  speak  to  him,  touch  him,  swept  over  her. 

Of  course  he  had  retreated  to  his  hiding-place  when 
he  had  heard  the  ringing  of  the  bell  on  the  door.  She 
had  been  there  for  an  hour,  and  he  must  be  tired  of 
waiting  there,  well  ventilated  as  the  dark  room  was. 
So  she  crossed  to  the  laboratory  door,  opened  the  door 
of  the  little  anteroom,  shut  it  behind  her,  and  put  her 
hand  to  the  inner  door,  opened  it,  and  listened. 

It  was  black  and  still.  For  a  moment  she  almost 
fainted  with  the  fear  that,  after  all,  she  might  be  mis- 
taken and  he  was  not  there.  Her  childhood's  terror 
of  the  dark  returned;  but  she  put  it  away  and  tried 
to  speak  aloud.  Her  voice  came  thin  and  small  in 
that  closed  space. 

"Astro,  I  have  found  you !"  she  said  tremblingly.  "I 
have  seen  your  black  light  in  the  dark,  and  I  know, 
now !  I  want  you,  dear !" 

She  gave  a  little  cry  as  she  felt  two  arms  take  her 
in  their  grasp.  Then  the  touch  of  his  lips  thrilled  her, 
and  she  laid  her  head  on  his  shoulder  in  peace  and  con- 
tentment. 


When  Astro  took  her  out  into  the  light,  it  blinded 
them  with  sunshine  so  that  they  staggered  and  could 
hardly  see. 


480       THE   MASTER  OF   MYSTERIES 

The  thrilling  of  the  electric  bell  interrupted  them  in 
their  dream. 

"It  is  the  clergyman  and  the  witnesses,"  said  Astro, 
smiling.  "They  are  just  five  minutes  ahead  of  time. 
I  didn't  expect  you'd  find  me  till  eleven  o'clock  at 
least!" 


THE  END 


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